Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “rum” come from?

rum (Middle English) comes from Old English rūm, from Proto-West Germanic rūm, from Proto-Germanic rūmaz, from Proto-Indo-European rewh₁- — free space.

Ancestry of “rum”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishrūmroom, space; roomy, spacious, ample, extensive,...
2Proto-West Germanicrūmroomy, spacious; room, open space
3Proto-Germanicrūmazroomy, spacious, open
4Proto-Indo-Europeanrewh₁-free space
Every word from Proto-Indo-European rewh₁- →