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

  1. The short thick digit of the hand that for humans...

Ancestry of “thumb”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishþombethumb; thumb-length; big toe
2Old Englishþūmathumb
3Proto-West Germanicþūmōthumb
4Proto-Germanicþūmôthumb
5Proto-Indo-Europeantūm-to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be...
6Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong

Words derived from “thumb”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- →