Etymograph

English

barm

Barm comes from Middle English barm ‘the lap’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-1‘to bear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*barmaz1‘lap’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*barm1reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150bearm1‘lap’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500barm1‘the lap’
  6. Englishtodaybarm1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English barm

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*bʰer-Wiktionary, English barm‘to bear’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*barmazWiktionary, English barm‘lap’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*barmWiktionary, English barmreconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150bearmWiktionary, English barm‘lap’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500barmWiktionary, English barm‘the lap’
  6. EnglishtodaybarmWiktionary, English barm

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- ‘to bear’

different, offer, difference, birth, reference, transfer, prefer, broad, bread, relative, suffer, translation, bear, relation, fortune, relate, burden, extraordinary, differ, bar, referendum, frustration, bore, translate, fury, breeze, referee, fertility, borne, fertile, barrel, berth, broom, phosphate, extravagant, fret, phosphorus, euphoria, defer, baron, 158 more

through Proto-West Germanic *barm

berm

Today it means

noun bosom

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “barm”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *bʰer- / barm

Shirt and support for this word