Etymology Explorer › Middle High German

Where does “bisem” come from?

bisem (Middle High German) comes from Old High German bisam, from Medieval Latin bisamum, from Hebrew בושם, from Proto-Semitic *buśm-.

Ancestry of “bisem”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanbisam—
2Medieval Latinbisamum—
3Hebrewבושםperfume
4Proto-Semitic*buśm-—

Words derived from “bisem”

  • Bisamratte
  • Bisam
Every word from Proto-Semitic *buśm- →