Where does “halm” come from?
halm (German) comes from Middle High German halm, from Old High German halm, from Proto-West Germanic *halm, from Proto-Germanic halmaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱolh₂mos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₂- — to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab.
Ancestry of “halm”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | halm | — |
| 2 | Old High German | halm | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *halm | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |