Where does “sham” come from?
Shame derives from Middle English schamen, Old English sċamian, and Proto-Germanic skamāną, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European skoh₃méh₂, a root expressing the concept of covering or hiding.
sham (English): Intended to deceive; false; counterfeit; unreal;...
Definitions
- Intended to deceive; false; counterfeit; unreal;...
Ancestry of “sham”, step by step
sham traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French cham
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | cham | Cham; khan |
| 2 | Ottoman Turkish | خان | inn, caravanserai; khan |
| 3 | Classical Persian | خان | — |
| 4 | Old Turkic | 𐰴𐰣 | — |
| 5 | Old Turkic | 𐰴𐰍𐰣 | khagan; king; ruler |
| 6 | English | kagan | Alternative spelling of khagan |
via Arabic شَام
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arabic | شَام | — |