Etymograph

English

transom

Transom may come from Latin trānstrum ‘crossbeam’, from trāns ‘across, beyond’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- ‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terh₂-1‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térh₂t1‘to get through, cross over’uncertain
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tr̥h₂ónts1uncertain
  4. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tr̥h₂n̥ts1uncertain
  5. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trāns1‘across, beyond’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrāns1‘across, beyond’uncertain
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrānstrum2‘crossbeam’uncertain
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500traunsom2‘crosspiece, crossbeam’
  9. Englishtodaytransom2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin transtrum
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English transom

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terh₂-Wiktionary, Latin transtrum‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*térh₂tWiktionary, Latin transtrum‘to get through, cross over’uncertain
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tr̥h₂óntsWiktionary, Latin transtrumuncertain
  4. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tr̥h₂n̥tsWiktionary, Latin transtrumuncertain
  5. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*trānsWiktionary, Latin transtrum‘across, beyond’uncertain
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrānsWiktionary, Latin transtrum‘across, beyond’uncertain
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtrānstrumWiktionary, English transom‘crossbeam’uncertain
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500traunsomWiktionary, English transom‘crosspiece, crossbeam’
  9. EnglishtodaytransomWiktionary, English transom

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- ‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’

through, enter, thorough, avatar, tram, tardy, torus, sarai, 20 more

through Proto-Italic *trāns ‘across, beyond’

tranquillity, 1 more

Today it means

noun A crosspiece over a door; a lintel.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “transom”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin transtrum. 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 *terh₂- / transom

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