*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of sloom

From Middle English *sloume, sloumbe, slume, from Old English sluma (“sleep, slumber”), from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“to be slack, loose, or limp”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“limp, flabby”). Compare slumber and

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 gentle sleep; slumber.

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

From Middle English *sloume, sloumbe, slume, from Old English sluma (“sleep, slumber”), from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“to be slack, loose, or limp”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“limp, flabby”). Compare slumber and Dutch sloom.

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.

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    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "*sloume"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English *sloume"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "sluma",
        "4": "",
        "5": "sleep, slumber"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English sluma (“sleep, slumber”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*slūm-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to be slack, loose, or limp"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“to be slack, loose, or limp”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*(s)lew-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "limp, flabby"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“limp, flabby”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "sloom"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch sloom"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*sloume",
      "Reconstruction:Middle English/sloume"
    ],
    [
      "sloumbe",
      "sloumbe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "slume",
      "slume#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "sluma",
      "sluma#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*slūm-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/slūm-"
    ],
    [
      "*(s)lew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)lew-"
    ],
    [
      "slumber",
      "slumber#English"
    ],
    [
      "sloom",
      "sloom#Dutch"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A gentle sleep; slumber."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "cf38e329e1f596095a7a824d0ce17f7a6cf54c5a109d541915dc7ea16aa65119",
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To sleep lightly, to doze, to nod; to be half-asleep. · To soften or rot with damp. (of plants or soil)

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

From Middle English slumen, slummen, from Old English *slūmian (“to slumber, sleep gently”), from Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“to be slack, loose, or limp”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“limp, flabby”).

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": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "slumen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English slumen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*slumian",
        "4": "*slūmian",
        "5": "to slumber, sleep gently"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *slūmian (“to slumber, sleep gently”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*slūm-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to be slack, loose, or limp"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *slūm- (“to be slack, loose, or limp”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*(s)lew-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "limp, flabby"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *(s)lew- (“limp, flabby”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "slumen",
      "slumen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "slummen",
      "slummen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*slūmian",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/slumian"
    ],
    [
      "*slūm-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/slūm-"
    ],
    [
      "*(s)lew-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)lew-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To sleep lightly, to doze, to nod; to be half-asleep.",
        "To soften or rot with damp. (of plants or soil)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scotland"
      ],
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  ],
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    "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 sloom →

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-c2xvb20