cumber

cumber · verb¹

1. Proto-Celtic · derived from*kombereti“to bring together”
2. Latin · derived fromcumulus
3. Old French · derived fromencombrer
4. Middle English · inherited fromcombren
5. English todaycumber

From Middle English combren, aphetic form of acombren or encombren, borrowed from Old French encombrer, ultimately either from Latin cumulus or Proto-Celtic *kombereti (“to bring together”), from *kom- + *bereti (“to bear”). Cognate with German kümmern (“to take care of”).

cumber · noun²

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*kumbr“burden, trouble, sorrow”
2. Old French · derived fromencombre“a hindrance, difficulty”
3. Middle English · inherited fromkomber
4. English todaycumber

From Middle English komber, kumbre, cumbre, combre (“distress; destruction”). Used in 14th century Middle English in the very scarcely attested “destruction” sense but not in common use until the 16th century; at first chiefly Scots, where it is also spelled cummer. Further etymology is uncertain, the term is either: * an aphetic form of encomber, encumbir, encumbre (“trouble; misfortune; harm, ruin”), itself from Old French encombre (“a hindrance, difficulty”), see Etymology 1 and French encombrer for further etymology; or, * cognate with Middle High German kumber (German Kummer), Middle Low German kummer, and Dutch kommer with which it strikingly shares the meaning “trouble, distress”, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *kumbr (“burden, trouble, sorrow”); or, * a deverbal from cumber.

Words from the same roots