Etymograph

English

loom

Loom comes from Middle English lome ‘a machine, device, or instrument’, and goes back to Old English *lōma.

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*lōmareconstructed
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lome‘a machine, device, or instrument’
  3. Englishtodayloom

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Old Englishc. 450–1150*lōmareconstructed
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500lome‘a machine, device, or instrument’
  3. Englishtodayloom

The story

Perhaps originally meaning "a thing of frequent use, thing repeatedly needed", in which case, akin to Old English ġelōme (‘often, frequently, continually, repeatedly’), from Proto-Germanic *ga- + *lōmiz, *lōmijaz (‘lame, halt’), from Proto-Indo-European *lem- (‘to break, soften’).

Every English word from Old English *lōma

Another origin of loom

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leh₂-‘to howl’root as named · steps between not traced
  2. Old Norsec. 800–1350lómr
  3. Englishtodayloom

Another origin of loom

  1. Old Norsec. 800–1350ljóma‘to shine, radiate’uncertain
  2. Englishtodayloom

Today it means

noun A utensil; tool; a weapon; (usually in compound) an article in general.

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

Etymograph / Old English *lōma / loom

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