Etymograph

English

naam

Naam comes from Old English nām ‘seizure of property’.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150nām1‘seizure of property’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nam1
  3. Englishtodaynaam1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English naam

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150nāmWiktionary, English naam‘seizure of property’
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500namWiktionary, English naam
  3. EnglishtodaynaamWiktionary, English naam

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *nem- ‘to take’

number, numerous, numb, nomadic, nomad, innumerable, numeric, numeral, nome, enumeration, numeracy, numero, enumerate, luma, numerator, numismatics, 24 more

through Proto-Germanic *nemaną ‘to take’

nim, 1 more

Today it means

noun The taking of property for the purpose of compensation.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “naam”. 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 / Old English nām / naam

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