Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “plum” come from?

Plum comes from Old English plūme, from Latin plumba, from Latin prunum, from Ancient Greek μόλυβδος, from Ancient Greek προῦμνον.

plum (English): "The fruit and its tree."; "Extended senses."; Of...

Definitions

  1. "The fruit and its tree."; "Extended senses."; Of...

Ancestry of “plum”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishplommeplum; plum tree
2Middle Englishplumtre—
3Old Englishplumtreow—
4Old Englishtrēowtree, wood, timber, beam, log, stake, stick,...
5Proto-West Germanictreutree; wood
6Proto-Germanictrewątree
7EnglishdoruAlternative form of dory
8Ancient Greekδόρυwood, tree, stem; spear shaft, spear, lance,...
9Proto-Hellenicdórutree
10Proto-Indo-Europeandórutree
11Proto-Indo-Europeandrew-hard, firm, strong, solid; hard, fast; tree

Words derived from “plum”

  • plummy
  • plumcake
  • plumlike
  • plumminess
  • plummily
  • plumless
  • plummier
  • pigeonplum
  • doveplum
  • 布冧
  • พลัม
Every word from Proto-Indo-European drew- →