English word origin

Etymology of cham

From French cham, from Ottoman Turkish خان (han) (see there for more).

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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 ↗

noun

Archaic spelling of khan. · An autocrat or dominant critic, especially Samuel Johnson.

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

From French cham, from Ottoman Turkish خان (han) (see there for more).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionchamfr
Derivation mentionخانota

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr",
        "3": "cham"
      },
      "expansion": "French cham"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ota",
        "3": "خان",
        "tr": "han"
      },
      "expansion": "Ottoman Turkish خان (han)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "cham",
      "cham#French"
    ],
    [
      "خان",
      "خان#Ottoman_Turkish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Archaic spelling of khan.",
        "An autocrat or dominant critic, especially Samuel Johnson."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "archaic"
      ],
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      "rawRecordSha256": "5058896dd78097db69e880127e502ba01fadb933b9da37657e63d177fd6186fc",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 415433
    }
  ],
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    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To chew.

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

See chap.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "chap",
      "chap#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To chew."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "recordId": "8d585d38e863cb3b9741a8254da7926937beb2cab7136d13a842c82dda2d5c8f",
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

contraction

I am

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

From Middle English icham, equivalent to ch- + am, from ich + am.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionichamenm

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": "icham"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English icham"
    },
    {
      "name": "prefix",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ch-",
        "3": "am"
      },
      "expansion": "ch- + am"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "icham",
      "icham#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "ch-",
      "ch-#English"
    ],
    [
      "am",
      "am#English"
    ],
    [
      "ich",
      "ich#English"
    ],
    [
      "am",
      "am#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "contraction",
      "glosses": [
        "I am"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "West-Country",
        "contraction",
        "obsolete"
      ],
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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 cham →

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-Y2hhbQ