Where does “chum” come from?
chum (French) comes from English chum, from English chambermate, from English maté, from Middle English mate, from Middle Low German māte, from Old Saxon gimato, from Proto-Germanic gamatjô, from Proto-Germanic ga- — resin.
chum (French): boyfriend; a friend, usually male; a chum
Definitions
- boyfriend; a friend, usually male; a chum
Ancestry of “chum”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chum | A friend; a pal; A roommate, especially in a... |
| 2 | English | chambermate | One who shares a chamber or room |
| 3 | English | maté | An evergreen tree, Ilex paraquariensis, native to... |
| 4 | Middle English | mate | mate companion, comrade |
| 5 | Middle Low German | māte | — |
| 6 | Old Saxon | gimato | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | gamatjô | — |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | ga- | Indicates association or togetherness; co-;... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 11 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 12 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 13 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 14 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 15 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |