English
thimble
Thimble comes from Old English þȳmel ‘thimble, thumbstall’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *tum- ‘to swell’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tum-‘to swell’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tu(h₂)m-ōreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þūmô‘thumb’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þūmō‘thumb’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150þūma‘thumb’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150þȳmel‘thimble, thumbstall’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500thymbyll
- Englishearliest quotation 1821thimble
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tum-‘to swell’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tu(h₂)m-ōreconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*þūmô‘thumb’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*þūmō‘thumb’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150þūma‘thumb’
- Old English, derivedc. 450–1150þȳmel‘thimble, thumbstall’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500thymbyll
- Englishearliest quotation 1821thimble
Earliest quotation: 1821, Manchester Guardian, David J. Cox: “One of them had the address, whilst his Majesty…”
Formed from thumb + -le
Proto-Indo-European *tūm- ‘to grow’
Proto-Germanic *þūmô
Proto-West Germanic *þūmō
Old English þūma
Middle English thombe
English thumb
The story
The English word is analysable as thumb + -le (suffix forming agent nouns), and is cognate with Dutch duimeling (‘thumbstall’), German Däumling (‘thumbstall’), German Low German Dümelke (‘thumbstall’), Saterland Frisian Düümelke (‘thumbstall’), Scots thummle, thumble (‘thimble’).
Linked words
through Old English þūma ‘thumb’
Today it means
noun A pitted, now usually metal, cup-shaped cap worn on the tip of a finger, which is used in sewing to push the needle through material.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tum- / thimble