English
damp
Damp comes from Middle English dampen ‘to stifle’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *dampaz.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*dampazreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150damp
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dampen‘to stifle’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1604–1605damp
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*dampazreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150damp
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500dampen‘to stifle’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1604–1605damp
Earliest quotation: c. 1604–1605, William Shakespeare, All’s Well, that Ends Well: “Ere twice in murk and occidental damp / Moist…”
Every English word from Proto-Germanic *dampaz
Today it means
adj In a state between dry and wet; moderately wet; moist.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *dampaz / damp