barmy

barmy · adjective¹

1. Proto-Indo-European · inherited from*bʰrewh₁-“to boil; to brew”
2. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*bermō“barm; yeast”
3. Old English · inherited frombeorma“foam or head of beer; leaven, yeast”
4. Middle English · inherited fromberm
5. English todaybarmy

From barm (“foam rising upon beer or other malt liquors when fermenting, and used as leaven”) + -y (suffix meaning ‘having the quality of’ forming adjectives). Barm is derived from Middle English berm, berme (“foam rising upon ale or beer fermenting; leaven, yeast; foam or head of beer produced by pouring”) [and other forms], from Old English beorma (“foam or head of beer; leaven, yeast”), from Proto-West Germanic *bermō (“barm; yeast”); further etymology uncertain, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil; to brew”) or *gʷʰer- (“warm; hot”).

barmy · adjective²

Probably an alteration of balmy (“foolish; slightly crazy or mad, eccentric”), influenced by barm (“foam rising upon beer or other malt liquors when fermenting, and used as leaven”) (see etymology 1).

barmy · noun³

1. Russian · borrowed fromбармы
2. Russian · borrowed fromбармы
3. English todaybarmy

Borrowed from Russian бармы (barmy).

barmy · noun⁴

Clipping of bar mitzvah.

Words from the same roots