Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “roofbeam” come from?

roofbeam (English) comes from English beam, from Middle English beem, from Old English bēam, from Proto-West Germanic baum, from Proto-Germanic baumaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- — to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...

roofbeam (English): Any of the beams that form a roof

Definitions

  1. Any of the beams that form a roof

Ancestry of “roofbeam”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbeamAny large piece of timber or iron long in...
2Middle Englishbeem—
3Old Englishbēamtree, cross, gallows, column, pillar, wood, beam,...
4Proto-West Germanicbaumtree; beam
5Proto-GermanicbaumazAlternative form of *bagmaz; tree, beam, balk;...
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰew-to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to...
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰew- →