blame

blame · noun¹

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromβλασφημέω
2. Late Latin · derived fromblastēmāre
3. Old French · derived fromblame
4. Middle English · inherited fromblame
5. English todayblame

From Middle English blame, borrowed from Old French blame, blasme, produced from the verb blasmer, which in turn is derived from Late Latin blastēmāre, variant of blasphēmāre, from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Doublet of blaspheme. Displaced native Old English tǣling (“blame”) and tǣlan (“to blame”).

blame · verb, adjective²

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromβλασφημέω
2. Late Latin · derived fromblasphēmāre“to reproach, to revile”
3. Old French · derived fromblasmer
4. Middle English · inherited fromblamen
5. English todayblame

From Middle English blamen, borrowed from Old French blasmer, from Late Latin blasphēmāre (“to reproach, to revile”), from Ancient Greek βλασφημέω (blasphēméō). Compare blaspheme, a doublet. Overtook common use from the native wite (“to blame, accuse, reproach, suspect”) (from Middle English wīten, from Old English wītan).

Words from the same roots