*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of lam

From Middle English lamen, lemen, from Old English lemian and Old Norse lemja; both from Proto-Germanic *lamjaną.

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

A flight or escape.

verb

To beat or thrash. · To flee or run away.

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

From Middle English lamen, lemen, from Old English lemian and Old Norse lemja; both from Proto-Germanic *lamjaną.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionlamenenm
  • Inherited-form mentionlemianang
  • Derivation mentionlemjanon
  • Inherited-form mention*lamjanągem-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": "lamen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English lamen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "lemian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English lemian"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "lemja"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse lemja"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*lamjaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *lamjaną"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "lamen",
      "lamen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lemen",
      "lemen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "lemian",
      "lemian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "lemja",
      "lemja#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*lamjaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/lamjaną"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A flight or escape."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "c2629396ed8ec8c92adb4a7f45f15dd41421fdf181796d6e8f9630d39c639b27",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bee708a877b5696de7fe591176fe5e37295e1f78e0e730aaeea8cbcbd9c9675d",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 29093
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To beat or thrash.",
        "To flee or run away."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "informal",
        "transitive",
        "dated",
        "intransitive",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "d663742b7366ee9b13228b463e7ab321735534683619a434a56dd1a5e0b5a2ba",
      "rawRecordSha256": "1f661fe1285074932d6ee8688155f428a337b3924af9c6f8044696c0ef49471e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 29092
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The twenty-third letter of the Arabic alphabet, ل (l). It is preceded by ك (k) and followed by م (m).

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

From Arabic لَام (lām), the name of the letter ل (l).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ar",
        "3": "لَام"
      },
      "expansion": "Arabic لَام (lām)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "لَام",
      "لام#Arabic"
    ],
    [
      "ل",
      "ل#Arabic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The twenty-third letter of the Arabic alphabet, ل (l). It is preceded by ك (k) and followed by م (m)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "69f6e8a4ef1f6b8418c4c39c393e7c0dba6988df6016743ff000fa106ce15c07",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8f2823b967b0f7e245b0aedd85370996b6e1b36f425272baa09591d1ca15af2f",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 29094
    }
  ],
  "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 lam →

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-bGFt