Etymograph

English

eam

Eam comes from Old English ēam ‘maternal uncle’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éwh₂os‘maternal uncle, maternal grandfather’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*awahaimaz‘maternal uncle’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150ēam‘maternal uncle’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eem
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2011eam

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éwh₂os‘maternal uncle, maternal grandfather’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*awahaimaz‘maternal uncle’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150ēam‘maternal uncle’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500eem
  5. Englishearliest quotation 2011eam

Earliest quotation: 2011, Ernest R. Holloway: “James Melville remarked that during his uncle's time in…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os ‘maternal uncle, maternal grandfather’

uncle, ayah, abuela, 8 more

through Proto-Germanic *awahaimaz ‘maternal uncle’

ohm, oom

through Old English ēam ‘maternal uncle’

eme

Today it means

noun Uncle.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os / eam

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