English
tome
Tome comes from Middle French tome, from Latin tomus ‘section of larger work’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- ‘to cut’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temh₁-‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tm̥-né-h₁-tireconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτέμνωtémnō‘to cut, separate’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEτόμοςtómos‘section, roll of papyrus, volume’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtomus‘section of larger work’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600tome
- Englishearliest quotation 2019tome
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*temh₁-‘to cut’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tm̥-né-h₁-tireconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτέμνωtémnō‘to cut, separate’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEτόμοςtómos‘section, roll of papyrus, volume’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtomus‘section of larger work’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600tome
- Englishearliest quotation 2019tome
Earliest quotation: 2019, Alex McLevy: “And Sam presents Tyrion with A Song Of Ice…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- ‘to cut’
contempt, templar, tempestuous, 36 more
through Ancient Greek τέμνω ‘to cut, separate’
through Latin tomus ‘section of larger work’
Today it means
noun One in a series of volumes.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *temh₁- / tome