Where does “arm” come from?
arm (Scots) comes from Middle English arm, from Old English earm, from Proto-West Germanic arm, from Proto-Germanic armaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ermos, from Proto-Indo-European h₂er- — to fit, to fix, to put together.
arm (Scots): arm; arm of the sea; bar, beam
Definitions
- arm; arm of the sea; bar, beam
Ancestry of “arm”, step by step
arm traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English arm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | arm | arm; poor; miserable, wretched |
| 2 | Old English | earm | arm; poor, miserable |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | arm | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | armaz | arm; poor, miserable; pitiful, pitiable |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ermos | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂er- | to fit, to fix, to put together |
via Old Norse armr
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Norse | armr | arm; poor, unhappy; wretched, wicked |