*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tomb

From Middle English tombe, toumbe, borrowed from Old French tombe, from Latin tumba from Ancient Greek τύμβος (túmbos, “a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”). Displaced

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.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To bury.

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

From Middle English tombe, toumbe, borrowed from Old French tombe, from Latin tumba from Ancient Greek τύμβος (túmbos, “a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”). Displaced native Old English þrūh. The verb is from Middle English tomben.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontombeenm
  • Derivation mentiontombefro
  • Derivation mentiontumbala
  • Derivation mentionτύμβοςgrc · a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave
  • Derivation mention*tewh₂-ine-pro · to swell
  • Non-cognate comparisonþrūhang
  • Inherited-form mentiontombenenm
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": "tombe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tombe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "tombe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French tombe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "tumba"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin tumba"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "τύμβος",
        "t": "a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek τύμβος (túmbos, “a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*tewh₂-",
        "t": "to swell"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "þrūh"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English þrūh"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tomben"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tomben"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Governor",
      "governor"
    ],
    [
      "tombe",
      "tombe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "toumbe",
      "toumbe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tombe",
      "tombe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "tumba",
      "tumba#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "τύμβος",
      "τύμβος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*tewh₂-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/tewh₂-"
    ],
    [
      "þrūh",
      "þruh#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "tomben",
      "tomben#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To bury."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "b763658b4e3c47bb02e67cf46a3325a59d400b00193d7a2ce147972b0fc6f318",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e9ab8c0ef27fcd164f239034db2245b1e9c67748871bdd486f6826216e6f5a84",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 285825
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A small building, or a room within one, for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. It may be partly or wholly in the ground (except for its entrance) in a cemetery, or it may be inside a church proper or in its crypt. Single tombs may be permanently sealed; those for families (or other groups) have doors for access whenever needed. · A pit in which the dead body of a human being is deposited. · One who keeps secrets. · Death (literary)

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

From Middle English tombe, toumbe, borrowed from Old French tombe, from Latin tumba from Ancient Greek τύμβος (túmbos, “a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”). Displaced native Old English þrūh. The verb is from Middle English tomben.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Inherited-form mentiontombeenm
  • Derivation mentiontombefro
  • Derivation mentiontumbala
  • Derivation mentionτύμβοςgrc · a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave
  • Derivation mention*tewh₂-ine-pro · to swell
  • Non-cognate comparisonþrūhang
  • Inherited-form mentiontombenenm
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": "tombe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tombe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "tombe"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French tombe"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "tumba"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin tumba"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "τύμβος",
        "t": "a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek τύμβος (túmbos, “a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*tewh₂-",
        "t": "to swell"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "þrūh"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English þrūh"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tomben"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tomben"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Governor",
      "governor"
    ],
    [
      "tombe",
      "tombe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "toumbe",
      "toumbe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tombe",
      "tombe#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "tumba",
      "tumba#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "τύμβος",
      "τύμβος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "*tewh₂-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/tewh₂-"
    ],
    [
      "þrūh",
      "þruh#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "tomben",
      "tomben#Middle_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Irish",
      "lang_code": "ga",
      "word": "tuama",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Māori",
      "lang_code": "mi",
      "word": "toma",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small building, or a room within one, for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. It may be partly or wholly in the ground (except for its entrance) in a cemetery, or it may be inside a church proper or in its crypt. Single tombs may be permanently sealed; those for families (or other groups) have doors for access whenever needed.",
        "A pit in which the dead body of a human being is deposited.",
        "One who keeps secrets.",
        "Death (literary)"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ],
      "recordId": "839541c7dbfebd684613f6ffb56cb292e5ca73ffc2d444ae050bc27e01f0a428",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d91907157396311b4fbd60d3b21c17e5a25ba568d00000d1002780104e28027b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 285824
    }
  ],
  "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 tomb →

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-dG9tYg