English word origin

Etymology of culm

From Middle English culme, colme (“fragments of coal”), of uncertain origin. Probably from Old English *colm, related to Old English col (“coal”). Alternatively, perhaps from Welsh cwlm (“knot or tie”), applied to this s

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 ↗

noun

Waste coal, used as a poor quality fuel. · The spoils from which such low-quality coal can be retrieved. · Anthracite, especially when found in small masses.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionculmeenm
Inherited-form mention*colmang
Cognate mentioncolang · coal
Derivation mentioncwlmcy

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "coal refuse"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "related to words for coal or spoils"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "culme"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English culme"
    },
    {
      "name": "unc",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "uncertain"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*colm"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *colm"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "col",
        "t": "coal"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English col (“coal”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cy",
        "3": "cwlm",
        "4": "",
        "5": "knot or tie"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh cwlm (“knot or tie”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "culme",
      "culme#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "colme",
      "colme#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*colm",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/colm"
    ],
    [
      "col",
      "col#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "cwlm",
      "cwlm#Welsh"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Waste coal, used as a poor quality fuel.",
        "The spoils from which such low-quality coal can be retrieved.",
        "Anthracite, especially when found in small masses."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "57ce555689c70defdf0b018f152e89a99bc8e74c608261629e96c2b878b3d4be",
      "rawRecordSha256": "dfdc4acfe185df600cdc2cdc04ff4cf4c0c8aecdd99bce7839f7152825ab27e5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 463897
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

The stem of a plant, especially of grass or sedge.

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

Borrowed from Latin culmus. Doublet of French calame, calamus, and haulm; further related to caramel, chalumeau and shawm.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionculmusla
Doublet mentioncalamusen
Doublet mentionhaulmen

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymid",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "from _culmus_, concerning stems etc"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "culmus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin culmus"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fr:calame",
        "3": "calamus",
        "4": "haulm"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of French calame, calamus, and haulm"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "culmus",
      "culmus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "calame",
      "calame#French"
    ],
    [
      "calamus",
      "calamus#English"
    ],
    [
      "haulm",
      "haulm#English"
    ],
    [
      "caramel",
      "caramel#English"
    ],
    [
      "chalumeau",
      "chalumeau#English"
    ],
    [
      "shawm",
      "shawm#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The stem of a plant, especially of grass or sedge."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "7834fcef386df4c9aec3a638da0c6e47c9069800ec825cf4df83e661169f026e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "484d053b2fdc30fa92fbf51cb0cdc480fd62c7a69a54f20717506136a243ed87",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 463898
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  ],
  "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 culm →

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-Y3VsbQ