Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “doom” come from?

doom (Middle English) comes from Old English dōm, from Proto-Germanic dōmi, from Proto-Germanic dōną, from Proto-Indo-European dʰéh₁t, from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- — to do, put, place.

Ancestry of “doom”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishdōmmight, power, glory; judgement; doom, judgment,...
2Proto-Germanicdōmi—
3Proto-Germanicdōnąto do, make; to put, place
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰéh₁tto put, to place; to do
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeh₁-to do, put, place
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- →