Etymograph

English

nim

Nim comes from Middle English nimen ‘to take’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *nem-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nem-1‘to give or take one's due’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nemaną1‘to take’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*neman1‘to take’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150niman1‘to take’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nimen1‘to take’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1547nim1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English nim
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1547, Andrew Boorde: “Ich cham a Cornysche man, al[e] che can brew;…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nem-Wiktionary, English nim‘to give or take one's due’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*nemanąWiktionary, English nim‘to take’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*nemanWiktionary, English nim‘to take’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150nimanWiktionary, English nim‘to take’
  5. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500nimenWiktionary, English nim‘to take’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1547nimWiktionary, English nim. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1547, Andrew Boorde: “Ich cham a Cornysche man, al[e] che can brew;…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *nem- ‘to give or take one's due’

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

through Proto-Germanic *nemaną ‘to take’

naam, 1 more

Today it means

verb To take or seize.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “nim”. 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 *nem- / nim

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