English word origin

Etymology of Lum

As an English surname, from Middle English Lumb, from Old English Lumm, from lumm (“pool”). Analyzable as being from English lum (“pool”). As a Chinese surname, from Cantonese 林 (lam4).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

An English surname transferred from the place name. · A surname from Chinese.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

As an English surname, from Middle English Lumb, from Old English Lumm, from lumm (“pool”). Analyzable as being from English lum (“pool”). As a Chinese surname, from Cantonese 林 (lam4).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionLumbenm
Inherited-form mentionLummang

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "Lumb"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English Lumb"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "Lumm"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English Lumm"
    },
    {
      "name": "m+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "lum",
        "3": "",
        "4": "pool"
      },
      "expansion": "English lum (“pool”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "林",
        "tr": "lam4"
      },
      "expansion": "林 (lam4)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Lumb",
      "Lumb#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "Lumm",
      "Lumm#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "lumm",
      "lumm#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "lum",
      "lum#English"
    ],
    [
      "林",
      "林#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "An English surname transferred from the place name.",
        "A surname from Chinese."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "11c14a1ad6988967c239314ffd42b0008d25dfa29298d0f15815dcad80f36108",
      "rawRecordSha256": "2b41491e459308da63cbee17bc9243621e2f88d7d7c7b3e2676cc1125e09f7c9",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6544774
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A diminutive of the male given name Columbus.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of Columbus.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Columbus"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of Columbus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Columbus",
      "Columbus#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A diminutive of the male given name Columbus."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "0aaa88319a31626f8da31c5b9056351d9102d7fbfcd3abee26bbeb92394582ac",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d37d398b6623fe8d70e49c1872df7b6483b1f482d310a228a60b75bd1eb19ccc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6544775
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Lum →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-THVt