Where does “thumb” come from?
Thumb comes from Middle English thoumbe, from Old English þūma, from Proto-Germanic þūmô, from Proto-Indo-European tūm-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂-.
thumb (English): The short thick digit of the hand that for humans...
Definitions
- The short thick digit of the hand that for humans...
Ancestry of “thumb”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | þombe | thumb; thumb-length; big toe |
| 2 | Old English | þūma | thumb |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | þūmō | thumb |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þūmô | thumb |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tūm- | to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tewh₂- | to swell; to crowd; to be strong |
Words derived from “thumb”