English
transom
Transom comes from Middle English traunsom ‘crosspiece, crossbeam’.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500traunsom‘crosspiece, crossbeam’
- Englishtodaytransom
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500traunsom‘crosspiece, crossbeam’
- Englishtodaytransom
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *terh₂- ‘to cross over, pass through, overcome’
through, enter, thorough, avatar, tram, tardy, torus, sarai, 20 more
through Proto-Italic *trāns ‘across, beyond’
through Latin trāns ‘across, beyond’
Today it means
noun A crosspiece over a door; a lintel.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English traunsom / transom