English
glom
Glom comes from English glaum ‘to grab or snatch at’, from Old English clæmman ‘to pinch, press, inclose’, and ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *klammjan ‘to clamp’.
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*klammjan‘to clamp’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150clæmman‘to pinch, press, inclose’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*clammenreconstructed
- English1500–presentglaum‘to grab or snatch at’
- Englishearliest quotation 2000glom
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*klammjan‘to clamp’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150clæmman‘to pinch, press, inclose’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500*clammenreconstructed
- English1500–presentglaum‘to grab or snatch at’
- Englishearliest quotation 2000glom
Earliest quotation: 2000, Jodi Picoult, Plain Truth: “The oil pan cracked, the engine seized, and the…”
Linked words
through Proto-West Germanic *klammjan ‘to clamp’
through Middle English *clammen
Today it means
verb To take.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-West Germanic *klammjan / glom