Where does “тьма” come from?

тьма (Old Church Slavonic) comes from Proto-Slavic tьmà, from Proto-Balto-Slavic timāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European tēmH- — dark.

тьма (Old Church Slavonic): darkness; ten thousand; a myriad; a large number...

Definitions

  1. darkness; ten thousand; a myriad; a large number...

Ancestry of “тьма”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavictьmàdark, darkness
2Proto-Balto-Slavictimāˀdarkness
3Proto-Indo-EuropeantēmH-dark
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tēmH-Every word from Proto-Balto-Slavic timāˀEvery word from Proto-Slavic tьmà