Where does “on the lam” come from?
on the lam (English) comes from English Lam, from Middle English lamen, from Old English lemian, from Proto-Germanic lamjaną, from Proto-Germanic -janą, from Proto-Indo-European -yéti, from Proto-Indo-European yé-, from Chichewa iye — he, she.
on the lam (English): Running away, usually from the police; on the run
Definitions
- Running away, usually from the police; on the run
Ancestry of “on the lam”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Lam | To beat or thrash |
| 2 | Middle English | lamen | — |
| 3 | Old English | lemian | to lame |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lamjaną | to bash, hit; to lame, cripple |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | -janą | Derives denominatives from nouns and factitives... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 8 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |