Where does “dum” come from?

dum (Middle Low German) comes from Old Saxon dumb, from Proto-West Germanic dumb, from Proto-Germanic dumbaz, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewbʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- — smoke; mist, haze.

dum (Middle Low German): stupid

Definitions

  1. stupid

Ancestry of “dum”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Saxondumb—
2Proto-West Germanicdumbdumb, mute
3Proto-Germanicdumbazdumb, mute, unable to speak
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewbʰ-deep
5Proto-Indo-Europeandʰewh₂-smoke; mist, haze

Words derived from “dum”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰewbʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic dumbaz →
dum — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer