Etymograph

English

damn

Damn comes from Middle English dampnen, from Old French damner, from Latin damnō ‘to condemn’, from damnum ‘loss’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₂p-1‘to sacrifice, to lose’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dh₂pnóm1‘expense’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dapnom1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdamnum2‘loss’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdamnō2‘to condemn, inflict loss upon’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400damner2
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dampnen2
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1599damn2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin damnum
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English damn
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “He shall not live; look, with a spot I…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*deh₂p-Wiktionary, Latin damnum‘to sacrifice, to lose’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dh₂pnómWiktionary, Latin damnum‘expense’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*dapnomWiktionary, Latin damnumreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdamnumWiktionary, English damn‘loss’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdamnōWiktionary, English damn‘to condemn, inflict loss upon’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400damnerWiktionary, English damn
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dampnenWiktionary, English damn
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1599damnWiktionary, English damn. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “He shall not live; look, with a spot I…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *deh₂p- ‘to sacrifice, to lose’

tap, tapas, 7 more

through Proto-Italic *dapnom

condemnation, 7 more

through Latin damnum ‘loss’

damage, condemn, indemnity, 8 more

Today it means

verb To condemn.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “damn”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin damnum. 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 *deh₂p- / damn

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