Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “dumm” come from?

dumm (German) comes from Middle High German tump, from Old High German tumb, from Proto-West Germanic dumb, from Proto-Germanic dumbaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

dumm (German): dumb, stupid

Definitions

  1. dumb, stupid

Ancestry of “dumm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germantump—
2Old High Germantumbdumb; stupid
3Proto-West Germanicdumbdumb, mute
4Proto-Germanicdumbazdumb, mute, unable to speak
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewbʰ-deep
6Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “dumm”

  • dummkopf
  • erzdumm
  • dummerweise
  • Dummhirn
  • strohdumm
  • Dummkopf
  • Dümmlichkeit
  • dümmlich
  • Dummheit
  • verdummen
  • strunzdumm
  • Dummdepp
  • dumjums
  • dumjš
  • dumjība
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →