English word origin

Etymology of chum

1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from cham, shortening of chambermate, or from comrade. Less likely from Welsh cymrawd (“fellow”), compare brawd (“brother”).

5 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 5 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 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗

verb

To share rooms with someone; to live together. · To lodge (somebody) with another person or people. · To make friends; to socialize. · To accompany.

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

1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from cham, shortening of chambermate, or from comrade. Less likely from Welsh cymrawd (“fellow”), compare brawd (“brother”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentioncymrawdcy · fellow

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "cham#English"
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      "comrade#English"
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗

noun

A friend; a pal. · A roommate, especially in a college or university.

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

1675–85; of uncertain origin, possibly from cham, shortening of chambermate, or from comrade. Less likely from Welsh cymrawd (“fellow”), compare brawd (“brother”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentioncymrawdcy · fellow

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    }
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      "comrade#English"
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      "lang_code": "fr",
      "word": "chum",
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        "Québec"
      ]
    },
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      "lang": "Kashubian",
      "lang_code": "csb",
      "word": "czum",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Canada"
      ]
    },
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      "lang_code": "es",
      "word": "chamo",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Venezuela"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Sranan Tongo",
      "lang_code": "srn",
      "word": "tyamu"
    },
    {
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "lang_code": "sv",
      "word": "tjomme",
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      ]
    },
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To cast chum into the water to attract fish.

noun

A mixture of (frequently rancid) fish parts and blood, dumped into the water as groundbait to attract predator fish, such as sharks.

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

Originally American English, from the 1850s. Perhaps from Powhatan.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗

noun

Synonym of chum salmon.

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

From Chinook Jargon tzum (“spotted, marked”), from Chinook.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentiontzumchn · spotted, marked

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    },
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Source etymology 5

Original entry ↗

noun

A temporary dwelling used by the nomadic Uralic reindeer herders of northwestern Siberia.

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

From Russian чум (čum), from Komi-Zyrian чум (ćum) and/or Udmurt чум (ćum, “tent, shelter”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mentionчумru
Derivation mentionчумkpv
Derivation mentionчумudm · tent, shelter

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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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 chum →

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-Y2h1bQ