Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “womb” come from?

womb (Middle English) comes from Middle English wombe, from Old English womb, from Proto-West Germanic wambu, from Proto-Germanic wambō, from Proto-Indo-European wamp- — membrane , intestines, womb.

womb (Middle English): Alternative form of wombe

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of wombe

Ancestry of “womb”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwombeThe stomach; The womb or uterus; the location...
2Old Englishwomb—
3Proto-West Germanicwambuwomb
4Proto-Germanicwambōbelly, stomach, abdomen; womb
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwamp-membrane , intestines, womb
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wamp- →