Where does “тьма” come from?
тьма (Old East Slavic) comes from Proto-Slavic tьmà, from Proto-Balto-Slavic timāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European tēmH- — dark.
тьма (Old East Slavic): darkness
Ancestry of “тьма”, step by step
тьма traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Proto-Slavic tьmà
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Slavic | tьmà | dark, darkness |
| 2 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | timāˀ | darkness |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | tēmH- | dark |
via Proto-Turkic *tümen
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Proto-Turkic | *tümen | A countless number or multitude (of specified things), a myriad |
| 2 | Middle Chinese | 萬 | — |
Words derived from “тьма”