Where does “rhyme” come from?
Rhyme comes from Middle English rime, from Old English rīm, from Latin rhythmus, from Ancient Greek ῥυθμός, ultimately traced to Proto-Indo-European roots h₂er-, srew-, and ser-.
rhyme (English): Rhyming verse; A thought expressed in verse; a...
Definitions
- Rhyming verse; A thought expressed in verse; a...
Ancestry of “rhyme”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | rimen | to count, enumerate |
| 2 | Old English | rīman | to count, enumerate, number; to count, number,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | rūmijan | to make room, to clear out |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | rūmijaną | to make room, to clear |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rūmaz | roomy, spacious, open |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | rewh₁- | free space |