Where does “ham” come from?
ham (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Old Norse hamr, from Proto-Germanic hamô, from Proto-Indo-European ḱem- — to cover, conceal; hornless.
ham (Norwegian Bokmål): him; skin or slough
Ancestry of “ham”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | hamr | skin, slough hleypa hǫmum ― to cast the slough;... |
| 2 | Proto-Germanic | hamô | cover, skin; clothes, skirt, fishnet; harness,... |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱem- | to cover, conceal; hornless |