Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “womb” come from?

Womb comes from Middle English wambe, from Old English wamb, from Proto-Indo-European wamp-.

womb (English): In female mammals, the organ in which the young...

Definitions

  1. In female mammals, the organ in which the young...

Ancestry of “womb”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwombeThe stomach; The womb or uterus; the location...
2Old Englishwomb—
3Proto-West Germanicwambuwomb
4Proto-Germanicwambōbelly, stomach, abdomen; womb
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwamp-membrane , intestines, womb

Words derived from “womb”

  • womblike
  • wame
  • enwombed
  • wombless
  • wameful
  • enwomb
  • wombman
  • wombly
  • inwomb
  • womb-brother
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wamp- →