English
ageym
Ageym comes from Old English onġēan ‘towards, opposite, against’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *in gagin.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*in gaginreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame formreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150onġēanas ongegn‘towards, opposite, against’
- Englishearliest quotation 1972ageym
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*in gaginreconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CEsame formreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150onġēanas ongegn‘towards, opposite, against’
- Englishearliest quotation 1972ageym
Earliest quotation: 1972, SCOTT DOBSON: “...Ah'm agyem this sortathing...”
Formed from a-
Proto-Indo-European *uds- ‘up, out’
Proto-Germanic *uz- ‘out-’
Proto-West Germanic *uʀ- ‘up, out, over’
English a-
The story
Preserved in Northern English and Geordie dialects as agyem, reflecting regional vowel shifts and consonant changes.
Linked words
through Old English onġēan ‘towards, opposite, against’
Today it means
prep Opposite to; in opposition to; contrary to.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *in gagin / ageym