Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “salm” come from?

salm (Middle English) comes from Old English psealm, from Latin psalmus, from Ancient Greek ψαλμός, from Ancient Greek ψάλλω, from Ancient Greek ψάω — to touch lightly, rub, wipe, rub smooth; to...

Ancestry of “salm”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishpsealmpsalm
2Latinpsalmuspsalm
3Ancient Greekψαλμόςtwitching or twanging with the fingers; sound of...
4Ancient Greekψάλλωto twitch; to make a sound by striking, touching,...
5Ancient Greekψάωto touch lightly, rub, wipe, rub smooth; to...

Words derived from “salm”

  • psalm
  • psalmist
  • psalmic
  • psalmbook
  • psalmwriter
  • psalmless
Every word from Ancient Greek ψάω →