English word origin

Etymology of toom

From Middle English toom, tom, from Old English tōm (“empty”), from Proto-West Germanic *tōm(ī), from Proto-Germanic *tōm(ij)az (“free, available, empty”), from Proto-Indo-European *doma- (“to tame”), *dema- (“to build”)

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 piece of waste ground where rubbish is deposited.

adj

Empty; bare.

verb

To empty; teem.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentiontoomenm
Inherited-form mentiontōmang · empty
Inherited-form mention*tōm(ī)gmw-pro
Inherited-form mention*tōmazgem-pro · free, available, empty
Derivation mention*doma-ine-pro · to tame
Cognate mentiontómuris

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": "toom"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English toom"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "tōm",
        "t": "empty"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tōm (“empty”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*tōm(ī)"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *tōm(ī)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*tōmaz",
        "4": "*tōm(ij)az",
        "t": "free, available, empty"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *tōm(ij)az (“free, available, empty”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*doma-",
        "t": "to tame"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *doma- (“to tame”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "tómur",
        "3": "",
        "4": "empty"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic tómur (“empty”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "toom",
      "toom#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tom",
      "tom#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tōm",
      "tom#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*tōm(ī)",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/tōm(ī)"
    ],
    [
      "*tōm(ij)az",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tōmaz"
    ],
    [
      "*doma-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/doma-"
    ],
    [
      "*dema-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dema-"
    ],
    [
      "tom",
      "tom#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "tómur",
      "tómur#Icelandic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A piece of waste ground where rubbish is deposited."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Scottish"
      ],
      "recordId": "b4403be92baa7dc7b4a304fafe489a05d0cca62af2be2fd4087638cd928b4a38",
      "rawRecordSha256": "be8c83e78cd5c6fe1b8a87d81ed62cf08f8d42fcbbb9945f8bbd637eb2ccd3d7",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 481819
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Empty; bare."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
        "dialectal",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "dbc822e2f29b0bd81be142caa8d2d1975cbf3d72106a313825e6227639c92116",
      "rawRecordSha256": "cb0e25642324d3e21cd469354a4fab6c5e7bbe32c53894ad5846a90dde2c63a2",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 481818
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To empty; teem."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal",
        "rare"
      ],
      "recordId": "f0447bbe7f7415efe5f5d3879cb047d075b27b872abfcabe017ee3fd198a2e63",
      "rawRecordSha256": "f40ac0bbd7ba95d972a3037667d65805d9480cca504f424f1733eaa5a43f5423",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 481820
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Vacant time, leisure.

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

From Middle English toom, tome, tom, from Old Norse tóm (“vacant time, leisure”), from Proto-Germanic *tōmą (“vacant time, leisure”). Related to Old Norse tómr (“vacant, empty”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentiontoomenm
Derivation mentiontómnon · vacant time, leisure
Derivation mention*tōmągem-pro · vacant time, leisure
Cognate mentiontómrnon · vacant, empty

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": "toom"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English toom"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "tóm",
        "t": "vacant time, leisure"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse tóm (“vacant time, leisure”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*tōmą",
        "t": "vacant time, leisure"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *tōmą (“vacant time, leisure”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "tómr",
        "t": "vacant, empty"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse tómr (“vacant, empty”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "toom",
      "toom#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tome",
      "tome#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tom",
      "tom#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "tóm",
      "tóm#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "*tōmą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tōmą"
    ],
    [
      "tómr",
      "tómr#Old_Norse"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Vacant time, leisure."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "usually"
      ],
      "recordId": "49d0128d759b3e81d5b814874b6636b39b44928978eda246ba9440ea8c31dc91",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e4701ff147ab0f76691fc05df5f3c86119b0f269e02fcaede99fac7892f71059",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 481821
    }
  ],
  "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 toom →

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-dG9vbQ