Where does “wem” come from?

wem (English) comes from Middle English wem, from Old English womm, from Proto-Germanic wammaz, from Proto-Indo-European wemh₁- — to spew, to vomit.

wem (English): A spot, stain, or mark; a blemish or fault

Definitions

  1. A spot, stain, or mark; a blemish or fault

Ancestry of “wem”, step by step

wem traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English wem

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwem—
2Old Englishwommspot, mark, blot
3Proto-Germanicwammazspot, stain, blemish
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwemh₁-to spew, to vomit

via Old English wamm

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwammstain, spot, scar, disgrace, defect, defilement,...

Words derived from “wem”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wemh₁- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wammaz →Every word from Old English womm →