Where does “thumb” come from?

thumb (Middle English) comes from Middle English þombe, from Old English þūma, from Proto-West Germanic þūmō, from Proto-Germanic þūmô, from Proto-Indo-European tūm-, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.

thumb (Middle English): Alternative form of þombe

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of þombe

Ancestry of “thumb”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishþombethumb; thumb-length; big toe
2Old Englishþūmathumb
3Proto-West Germanicþūmōthumb
4Proto-Germanicþūmôthumb
5Proto-Indo-Europeantūm-to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be...
6Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European tūm- →Every word from Proto-Germanic þūmô →