gloom

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*ǵʰley-“to gleam, shimmer, glow”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*glōmaz“gleam, shimmer, sheen”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*glōm
4. Old English · inherited fromglōm“gloaming, twilight, darkness”
5. Middle English · inherited from*gloom
6. English todaygloom

From Middle English *gloom, *glom, from Old English glōm (“gloaming, twilight, darkness”), from Proto-West Germanic *glōm, from Proto-Germanic *glōmaz (“gleam, shimmer, sheen”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰley- (“to gleam, shimmer, glow”). The English word is cognate with Norwegian glom (“transparent membrane”), Scots gloam (“twilight; faint light; dull gleam”).

Words from the same roots