*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of rim

Etymology tree Old English rima Middle English rim English rim From Middle English rim, rym, rime, from Old English rima (“rim, edge, border, bank, coast”), from Proto-Germanic *rimô, *rembô (“edge, border”), possibly fr

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 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 form a rim on. · To follow the contours, possibly creating a circuit. · To roll around a rim. · To coat the rim of a glass with salt or another powder.

noun

An edge around something, especially when circular. · A wheelrim. · A semicircular copydesk. · The narrow surface of wine that meets the glass when it is tilted, used in identifying the age, body, etc.

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

Etymology tree Old English rima Middle English rim English rim From Middle English rim, rym, rime, from Old English rima (“rim, edge, border, bank, coast”), from Proto-Germanic *rimô, *rembô (“edge, border”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *rem-, *remə- (“to rest, support, be based”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Rim (“plank, wooden cross, trellis”), Old Saxon rimi (“edge; border; trim”), Icelandic rimi (“a strip of land”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionrimenm
  • Inherited-form mentionrimaang · rim, edge, border, bank, coast
  • Inherited-form mention*rimôgem-pro
  • Derivation mention*rem-ine-pro
  • Cognate mentionRimstq · plank, wooden cross, trellis
  • Cognate mentionrimiosx · edge; border; trim
  • Cognate mentionrimiis · a strip of land
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "To coat the rim of a glass with salt or another powder."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To lick the anus of a partner as a sexual act; to perform anilingus.

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

From a variation of ream.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A membrane. · The membrane enclosing the intestines; the peritoneum, hence loosely, the intestines; the lower part of the abdomen; belly.

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

From Middle English rim, rym, ryme, reme, from Old English rēoma (“membrane, ligament”), from Proto-West Germanic *reumō.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentionrimenm
  • Inherited-form mentionrēomaang · membrane, ligament
  • Inherited-form mention*reumōgmw-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A step of a ladder; a rung.

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

Unknown.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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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 rim →

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-cmlt