English
hammer
Hammer comes from Middle English hamer ‘a hammer’, and goes back to Proto-Germanic *hamaraz ‘tool with a stone head’.
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hamaraz‘tool with a stone head’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hamarreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hamor
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hamer‘a hammer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1697hammer
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hamaraz‘tool with a stone head’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hamarreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150hamor
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500hamer‘a hammer’
- Englishearliest quotation 1697hammer
Earliest quotation: 1697, Virgil, (please specify the book number): “hammered money”.
The story
This is traditionally ascribed to Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱmoros, from *h₂éḱmō (‘stone’), but see *hamaraz for further discussion.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- ‘sharp’
hear, edge, egg, acid, ear, acute, axe, eager, acne, oxide, vinegar, mediocre, acetate, paragon, acupuncture, acacia, mediocrity, acuity, exacerbate, acumen, acme, hark, acyl, acrid, rosacea, acrimony, roselle, exacerbation, acerbic, 72 more
Today it means
noun A tool with a heavy head and a handle used for pounding.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *hamaraz / hammer