*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of teem

From Middle English temen (“to bear, to support”), from Anglian Old English tēman (“to give birth”) (West Saxon Old English tīeman), from Proto-West Germanic *taumijan (“to bridle”), from Proto-Germanic *taumijaną, from

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 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 downpour (of rain).

verb

To be stocked to overflowing. · To be prolific; to abound; to be rife. · To fall prolifically. · To bring forth young, as an animal; to produce fruit, as a plant; to bear; to be pregnant; to conceive; to multiply.

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

From Middle English temen (“to bear, to support”), from Anglian Old English tēman (“to give birth”) (West Saxon Old English tīeman), from Proto-West Germanic *taumijan (“to bridle”), from Proto-Germanic *taumijaną, from *taumaz ("bridle", continued in Modern English as team).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Root classification mention*dewk-ine-pro
  • Inherited-form mentiontemenenm · to bear, to support
  • Inherited-form mention*taumijangmw-pro · to bridle
  • Inherited-form mention*taumijanągem-pro
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dewk-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "temen",
        "id": "bear",
        "t": "to bear, to support"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English temen (“to bear, to support”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang-ang",
        "3": "tēman",
        "t": "to give birth"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglian Old English tēman (“to give birth”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang-wsx",
        "2": "tīeman"
      },
      "expansion": "West Saxon Old English tīeman"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*taumijan",
        "t": "to bridle"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *taumijan (“to bridle”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*taumijaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *taumijaną"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "temen",
      "temen#Middle_English:_bear"
    ],
    [
      "tēman",
      "teman#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "tīeman",
      "tieman#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*taumijan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/taumijan"
    ],
    [
      "*taumijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/taumijaną"
    ],
    [
      "*taumaz",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/taumaz"
    ],
    [
      "team",
      "team#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A downpour (of rain)."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To be stocked to overflowing.",
        "To be prolific; to abound; to be rife.",
        "To fall prolifically.",
        "To bring forth young, as an animal; to produce fruit, as a plant; to bear; to be pregnant; to conceive; to multiply."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To empty. · To pour (especially with rain) · To pour, as steel, from a melting pot; to fill, as a mould, with molten metal. · To drain the water from (boiled potatoes etc.).

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

From Middle English temen (“to drain”), from Old Norse tœma, from Proto-Germanic *tōmijaną (“to empty, make empty”). Cognate to Swedish tömma. Related to English toom (“empty, vacant”). More at toom.

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": "temen",
        "t": "to drain",
        "id": "drain"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English temen (“to drain”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "tœma"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse tœma"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*tōmijaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to empty, make empty"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *tōmijaną (“to empty, make empty”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "tömma"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish tömma"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "toom",
        "3": "",
        "4": "empty, vacant"
      },
      "expansion": "English toom (“empty, vacant”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "temen",
      "temen#Middle_English:_drain"
    ],
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      "tœma",
      "tœma#Old_Norse"
    ],
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      "*tōmijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/tōmijaną"
    ],
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      "tömma",
      "tömma#Swedish"
    ],
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      "toom",
      "toom#English"
    ],
    [
      "toom",
      "toom#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To empty.",
        "To pour (especially with rain)",
        "To pour, as steel, from a melting pot; to fill, as a mould, with molten metal.",
        "To drain the water from (boiled potatoes etc.)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "Ireland",
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      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

To think fit.

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

From Middle English temen (“to be suitable, befit”), from Old English *teman, from Proto-Germanic *temaną (“to fit”). Cognate with Low German temen, tamen (“to befit”), Dutch betamen (“to befit”), German ziemen. See also tame (adjective) and compare beteem.

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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        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "temen",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to be suitable, befit"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English temen (“to be suitable, befit”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*teman"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *teman"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
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        "4": "",
        "5": "to fit"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *temaną (“to fit”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nds",
        "2": "temen"
      },
      "expansion": "Low German temen"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "betamen",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to befit"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch betamen (“to befit”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "ziemen"
      },
      "expansion": "German ziemen"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "temen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "*teman",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/teman"
    ],
    [
      "*temaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/temaną"
    ],
    [
      "temen",
      "temen#Low_German"
    ],
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      "tamen",
      "tamen#Low_German"
    ],
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      "betamen",
      "betamen#Dutch"
    ],
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      "ziemen",
      "ziemen#German"
    ],
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      "tame",
      "tame#English"
    ],
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      "beteem",
      "beteem#English"
    ]
  ],
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        "To think fit."
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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 teem →

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-dGVlbQ