THE ETYMOLOGY NERD
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Infographics
  • Videos
  • MORE
    • Cartoons
    • Retail Reviews
    • Resources
    • About
    • Accomplishments

BY GUM!

12/3/2019

1 Comment

 
The words gum meaning "flesh around the teeth" and "sticky thing you chew" are not related. The former, through Middle English gome, comes from the Old English word for "palate", goma, which eventually traces to Proto-Germanic gaumo and Proto-Indo-European ghumo. The other kind of gum you get from a plant has a much more interesting origin. It was borrowed from an Anglo-Norman word also spelled gome, which derives from a Latin word spelled either as cummi  or gummi. That in turn goes back to Ancient Greek kommi, still referring to the plant product, and ultimately is thought to be from the Egyptian word qmy, meaning "anointing oil". This obviously shifted in definition as the resin was traded around the Mediterranean and very likely hails from a Proto-Semitic root.
1 Comment
E Owen Butler
11/18/2020 02:31:35 pm

This is an interesting dig into the etymological roots, but fails to answer the question: What is the origin of the idiom "by gum!"

As far as I'm able to deduce, "by gum" is most likely a minced oath, or euphemism, to replace "by god," much like "gadzooks" replaces "God's hooks."

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    AUTHOR

    Picture
    Hello! I'm Adam Aleksic, a sophomore studying linguistics and government at Harvard University, where I founded the Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society. I also have disturbing interests in politics, vexillology, geography, board games, conlanging, and law. 
      If I don't cover it soon, I probably already did it
    Submit
    CONFUSED?
      

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016

    Categories

    All
    Interview
    Satire

Picture

A lexophile's sanctum

CONTACT: etymologynerd@gmail.com
TWITTER • INSTAGRAM • YOUTUBE • REDDIT • LINKEDIN •RSS
Home • Blog • Infographics • Retail Reviews • Cartoons • Clarifications • Resources • Accomplishments
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Infographics
  • Videos
  • MORE
    • Cartoons
    • Retail Reviews
    • Resources
    • About
    • Accomplishments