English word origin

Etymology of glom

From Scottish English glom, glaum (“to grab or snatch at”), a variant of clam, claum (“to clutch, seize, grasp, reach for”), from Middle English *clammen, from Old English clæmman (“to pinch, press, inclose”), from Proto

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 ↗

verb

To take. · To grab hold of, seize; catch, grab or latch onto. · To clump up, to seize together into a lump or conglomeration.

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 mention*clammenenm
Inherited-form mentionclæmmanang · to pinch, press, inclose
Inherited-form mention*klammjangmw-pro

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": "*clammen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *clammen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "clæmman",
        "t": "to pinch, press, inclose"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English clæmman (“to pinch, press, inclose”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*klammjan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *klammjan"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "glaum",
      "glaum#English"
    ],
    [
      "clam",
      "clam#English"
    ],
    [
      "claum",
      "claum#English"
    ],
    [
      "*clammen",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/clammen"
    ],
    [
      "clæmman",
      "clæmman#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*klammjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/klammjan"
    ],
    [
      "clamp",
      "clamp#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To take.",
        "To grab hold of, seize; catch, grab or latch onto.",
        "To clump up, to seize together into a lump or conglomeration."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "transitive",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "82db58cca11c6c4e250a09628cbe2850397683b8c3a320974e1c5ebbb863dd13",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a40d2929b2bf8ecf3c7f9d5e0d987f05072fdd33d72eb9b9be121c793e2a532c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 230166
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

Alternative form of glaum (“look, stare”).

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

Variant of glaum, gloom (“to frown, scowl, stare at”).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "glaum",
      "glaum#English"
    ],
    [
      "gloom",
      "gloom#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of glaum (“look, stare”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "intransitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "af6a8407720b9dd35b0cdb3ade462cda7c764e542b97cb77adc100e586a9e39e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "547d3bd4573b1d079af2d520e35ed48f6cbb9d148e2d02dc63cb3c9414ff83a3",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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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 glom →

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-Z2xvbQ