Where does “underarm” come from?
Underarm comes from Middle English under- combined with Old English earm, which derives from Proto-Germanic *armaz, itself from Latin arma meaning weapons or tools, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- meaning to fit or join.
underarm (English): The armpit; Old-fashioned and now outlawed style...
Definitions
- The armpit; Old-fashioned and now outlawed style...
Ancestry of “underarm”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | under- | Under : insufficient, insufficiently, below what... |
| 2 | English | under | In or at a lower level than; As a subject of;... |
| 3 | Middle English | under | — |
| 4 | Old English | under | under |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | under | among, between; under, beneath; under |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁entér | between |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁en | in; in, inside |