Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “palm” come from?

Palm comes from Middle English palme, from Old French palme, from Latin palma, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European pelh₂-.

palm (English): Any of various evergreen trees from the family...

Definitions

  1. Any of various evergreen trees from the family...

Ancestry of “palm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishpalme—
2Old Frenchpalmepalm leaf; Alternative form of paume
3LatinPalma—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanpl̥h₂meh₂palm, hand
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplh₂m-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanpelh₂-to approach
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpel-to cover, to wrap; skin, hide, cloth; to fold

Words derived from “palm”

  • palmy
  • palmette
  • palmtop
  • palmprint
  • palmful
  • palmlike
  • palmwood
  • palmless
  • palmheart
  • palmchat
  • palmaceous
  • palmster
  • palmworm
  • facepalm
  • palmspan
  • impalm
  • palmcreeper
  • facepalmy
  • palminess
  • kokospalmo
  • palmo
  • パームトップ
  • palmiero
  • palmeto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pel- →