Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “þūma” come from?

þūma (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic þūmō, from Proto-Germanic þūmô, from Proto-Indo-European tūm-, from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- — to swell; to crowd; to be strong.

þūma (Old English): thumb

Definitions

  1. thumb

Ancestry of “þūma”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanicþūmōthumb
2Proto-Germanicþūmôthumb
3Proto-Indo-Europeantūm-to grow; to swell, to increase; to swell, be...
4Proto-Indo-Europeantewh₂-to swell; to crowd; to be strong

Words derived from “þūma”

  • tomb
  • thumb
  • tombstone
  • thumbnail
  • thumbprint
  • thumbscrew
  • thumbtack
  • tomblike
  • thumbstick
  • thumbsucking
  • thumbprinting
  • thumbwheel
  • thumbless
  • tombless
  • thumbmark
  • tombstoning
  • thumbpiece
  • thumbhole
  • tumb
  • thumbstall
  • thumber
  • thumbkin
  • thumbprinted
  • thumby
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewh₂- →