Etymograph

English

rum

Rum may come from Dutch roemer.

  1. Dutchc. 1500–presentroemer1uncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1639rum1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English rum
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1639, John Josselyn, Journal in An Account of Two Voyages to New-England... (1673: “... I went aboard the Fellowship of 100 and…”.

Lineage

  1. Dutchc. 1500–presentroemerWiktionary, English rumuncertain
  2. Englishearliest quotation 1639rumWiktionary, English rum. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1639, John Josselyn, Journal in An Account of Two Voyages to New-England... (1673: “... I went aboard the Fellowship of 100 and…”

Every English word from Dutch roemer

Today it means

noun A spirit distilled from various preparations of sugarcane, particularly fermented cane sugar and molasses.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rum”. 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 / Dutch roemer / rum

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