Where does “home” come from?
home (Middle English) comes from Middle English whom, from Old English hwām, from Proto-Germanic hwammai, from Proto-Germanic hwaz, from Proto-Indo-European kʷos, from Proto-Indo-European kʷ- — The primary interrogative root.
home (Middle English): Alternative form of hom; Alternative form of...
Definitions
- Alternative form of hom; Alternative form of...
Ancestry of “home”, step by step
home traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English whom
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | whom | (to) who, whom accusative or dative |
| 2 | Old English | hwām | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwammai | masculine/neuter dative of *hwaz |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwaz | who, what; whose; whom |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷos | See *kʷis |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kʷ- | The primary interrogative root |
via Old English hama
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | hama | covering, dress, garment |
| 2 | Old English | hām | home; village, community; village, hamlet, manor,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | haim | home |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | haimaz | home; house; village |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóymos | of the home, belonging to the family; village,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱey- | to be lying down; to settle |
via Middle English hem
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hem | Third-person plural accusative pronoun: them;... |
| 2 | Old English | hem | hem, border |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hammjan | To press; pinch; To obstruct; restrict; restrain;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hamjaną | To press; pinch; To obstruct; restrict; restrain;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kem- | to press together; to hinder, to hamper; to... |