Where does “tame” come from?

Tame comes from Middle English tame and the suffix Middle English -en, derived from Old English -en, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European demh₂- meaning to tame or subdue.

tame (English): Not or no longer wild; domesticated; Mild and...

Definitions

  1. Not or no longer wild; domesticated; Mild and...

Ancestry of “tame”, step by step

tame traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English tame

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtametame, domesticated; cultivated, domesticated;...
2Old Englishtamtame
3Proto-West Germanictamtame
4Proto-Germanictamaztame
5Proto-Indo-Europeandemh₂-to tame, domesticate

via Middle English tome

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtomeempty, hollow; free time, leisure; Alternative...
2Old Norsetómrempty; vain, mere, idle
3Proto-Germanictōmazfree, clear, empty, unoccupied
4Proto-Indo-Europeandoma-to tame
Every word from Proto-Indo-European demh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic tamaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic tam →