English
slumber
Slumber comes from Middle English slombren, and goes back to slummen.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500slummen
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500slombrenfrequentative of slummen
- Englishearliest quotation 1590slumber
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500slummen
- Middle English, derivedc. 1150–1500slombrenfrequentative of slummen
- Englishearliest quotation 1590slumber
Earliest quotation: 1590, Edmund Spenser, Book I, Canto VII: “Then vp he tooke the slombred sencelesse corse.”
Every English word from Middle English slummen
Today it means
noun A very light state of sleep, almost awake.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English slummen / slumber