Where does “one-armed” come from?
one-armed (English) comes from English armed, from English Arm, from Middle English arm, from Old English earm, from Proto-West Germanic arm, from Proto-Germanic armaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ermos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
one-armed (English): Having only one arm
Ancestry of “one-armed”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | armed | Equipped, especially with a weapon; Prepared for... |
| 2 | English | Arm | Abbreviation of Armenian |
| 3 | Middle English | arm | arm; poor; miserable, wretched |
| 4 | Old English | earm | arm; poor, miserable |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | arm | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | armaz | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ermos | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |