English
come
Come comes from Middle English comen ‘to come’, from Proto-Indo-European *gʷémt ‘to step’, and ultimately from *gʷem-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷem-‘to come’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷémt‘to step’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kwemaną‘to come’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kweman‘to come’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cuman‘to come’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500comen‘to come’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596come
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷem-‘to come’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʷémt‘to step’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*kwemaną‘to come’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*kweman‘to come’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150cuman‘to come’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500comen‘to come’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1595–1596come
Earliest quotation: c. 1595–1596, William Shakespeare, Loues Labour’s Lost: “How come you thus estranged?”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- ‘to come, step’
event, base, basic, basis, revenue, adventure, avenue, convention, bass, venue, diabetes, inventory, convenience, advent, intervene, inventor, invent, souvenir, provenance, pug, convene, contravention, revenant, circumvention, contravene, quim, 56 more
through Proto-Germanic *kwemaną ‘to come’
through Middle English comen ‘to come’
Today it means
verb To move nearer to the point of perspective.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- / come