Etymograph

English

hammer

Hammer comes from Middle English hamer ‘a hammer’, from Proto-Germanic *hamaraz ‘tool with a stone head’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-1‘sharp’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éḱmō2‘stone’uncertain
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hamaraz3‘tool with a stone head’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hamar3reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150hamor3
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hamer3‘a hammer’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1697hammer3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂éḱmō
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hamaraz
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English hammer
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1697, Virgil, (please specify the book number): “hammered money”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eḱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₂éḱmō‘sharp’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éḱmōWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hamaraz‘stone’uncertain
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hamarazWiktionary, English hammer‘tool with a stone head’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hamarWiktionary, English hammerreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150hamorWiktionary, English hammer
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hamerWiktionary, English hammer‘a hammer’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1697hammerWiktionary, English hammer. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1697, Virgil, (please specify the book number): “hammered money”

The story

This is traditionally ascribed to Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱmoros, from *h₂éḱmō (‘stone’), but see *hamaraz for further discussion.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’

hear, edge, egg, acid, ear, acute, axe, eager, acne, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acetate, paragon, acupuncture, acacia, mediocrity, acuity, exacerbate, acumen, acme, hark, acyl, acrid, rosacea, acrimony, roselle, exacerbation, acerbic, 72 more

Today it means

noun A tool with a heavy head and a handle used for pounding.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “hammer”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₂éḱmō, Proto-Germanic *hamaraz. 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 *h₂eḱ- / hammer

Shirt and support for this word