Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “fām” come from?

fām (Old English) comes from Proto-West Germanic *faim, from Proto-Germanic faimaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)poHy-m-os, from Proto-Indo-European (s)poH(y)-, from Proto-Indo-European speh₁- — to succeed, to prosper.

Ancestry of “fām”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-West Germanic*faim—
2Proto-Germanicfaimazfoam
3Proto-Indo-European(s)poHy-m-os—
4Proto-Indo-European(s)poH(y)-foam
5Proto-Indo-Europeanspeh₁-to succeed, to prosper

Words derived from “fām”

  • foam
  • foaming
  • antifoam
  • foamless
  • antifoaming
  • geofoam
  • foamflower
  • afoam
  • foamable
  • nanofoam
  • foameth
  • foamboard
  • defoamer
  • foamability
  • foamlike
  • foamingly
  • polyfoam
  • meadowfoam
  • nonfoaming
  • antifoamer
  • foamer
  • microfoam
  • defoam
  • nonfoam
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speh₁- →