Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/elm

This Proto-West Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

From Proto-Germanic *elmaz ~ *ilmis, *ulmis. Alternative form *olm derives from the zero-grade,^[1] and/or from Latin cognate ulmus (“elm”).

*elm m

1. elm tree
2. wood from an elm tree

• *alm, *ulm, *olm^[1]

• Old English: elm, *ulm m
  • Middle English: elm, alme, elme, helm, ulme
    • English: elm (dialectal ellum)
    • Scots: elm
  • ⇒ Old English: ulmtrēow
    • Middle English: ulm tree, elme-tre, elmetree
      • English: elmtree
• Old Saxon: elm, alm m (alm in placenames)
  • Middle Low German: elme, elm, olm m
    • Low German: Elm, Ölm, Ilm, Ülm
• Old Dutch: *olm m, alma f, alme-, elme-, helme- (in placenames)
  • Middle Dutch: olm, *alm m, olme f (conflated with Old French olme?)
    • Dutch: olm, alm m
• Old High German: elm, ilme, elmo m
  • Middle High German: ëlm, ëlme, elmene, ilm, ilme, ilmene f
    • Alemannic German: Elme, Ilme, Olme
    • ⇒ Middle High German: ilmboum, ilmpoum
• >? Old High German: ulm m (native or borrowed from Latin ulmus?)
  • Middle High German: ulme f (new borrowing from Latin, or back-formation from ulmboum and influenced by Latin?)
    • German: Ulme f
  • ⇒ Old High German: ulmboum
    • Middle High German: ulmboum, ulmpoum