English
fume
Fume comes from Old French fum ‘smoke, steam, vapour’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewh₂-‘to smoke, raise dust’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰuh₂mós‘smoke’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θūmosreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*fūmosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfūmus‘vapour, smoke’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fum‘smoke, steam, vapour’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fume‘Visible gaseous emanations’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606–1607fume
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰewh₂-‘to smoke, raise dust’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*dʰuh₂mós‘smoke’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*θūmosreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*fūmosreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEfūmus‘vapour, smoke’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400fum‘smoke, steam, vapour’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fume‘Visible gaseous emanations’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606–1607fume
Earliest quotation: c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra: “Keep his brain fuming.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- ‘to smoke, raise dust’
down, steam, dye, dew, dun, dune, duvet, dag, thymus, typhon, obfuscate, 27 more
through Latin fūmus ‘vapour, smoke’
Today it means
noun A gas or vapour/vapor that is strong-smelling or dangerous to inhale.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- / fume