*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dim

From Middle English dim, dym, from Old English dim, dimm (“dim, dark, gloomy; wretched, grievous, sad, unhappy”), from Proto-West Germanic *dimm, from Proto-Germanic *dimmaz (“dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰem- (“to

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 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 ↗
adj

Not bright or colorful. · Not smart or intelligent. · Indistinct, hazy or unclear. · Disapproving, unfavorable: rarely used outside the phrase take a dim view of.

verb

To make something less bright. · To become darker. · To render dim, obscure, or dark; to make less bright or distinct. · To deprive of distinct vision; to hinder from seeing clearly, either by dazzling or clouding the eyes; to darken the senses or understanding of.

noun

Dimness.

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

From Middle English dim, dym, from Old English dim, dimm (“dim, dark, gloomy; wretched, grievous, sad, unhappy”), from Proto-West Germanic *dimm, from Proto-Germanic *dimmaz (“dark”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰem- (“to whisk, smoke; obscure”). Compare Faroese dimmur (“dark”), Icelandic dimmur (“dark”) and dimma (“darkness”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentiondimenm
  • Derivation mentiondimang
  • Derivation mention*dimmgmw-pro
  • Derivation mention*dimmazgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*dʰem-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentiondimmurfo · dark
  • Cognate mentiondimmuris · dark

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "dim"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dim"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dim"
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      "expansion": "Old English dim"
    },
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    },
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        "4": "",
        "5": "to whisk, smoke; obscure"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dʰem- (“to whisk, smoke; obscure”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
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      },
      "expansion": "Faroese dimmur (“dark”)"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
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      "dim#Old_English"
    ],
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      "dimm",
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    ],
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      "*dimm",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/dimm"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dimmaz"
    ],
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      "*dʰem-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰem-"
    ],
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      "pos": "verb",
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        "To make something less bright.",
        "To become darker.",
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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 dim →

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-ZGlt