earm

Old English

Alternative forms

• arm — Anglian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /æ͜ɑrm/, [æ͜ɑrˠm]

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂er-mos (“joint”).

Cognate with Old Frisian arm, Old Saxon arm, Dutch arm, Old High German arm (German Arm), Old Norse armr (Swedish arm), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌼𐍃 (arms). The Proto-Indo-European root is also the source of Old Church Slavonic рамо (ramo) (Bulgarian ра́мо (rámo, “shoulder”)), Latin armus.

Noun

earm m

2. arm

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	earm	earmas
accusative	earm	earmas
genitive	earmes	earma
dative	earme	earmum

Derived terms

• earmella
• earmsċanca
• earmstoc

Descendants

• Middle English: arm
  • English: arm
  • Middle Scots: arm, arme
    • Scots: airm
  • Yola: arrm, earme

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *armaz, further etymology uncertain.

Cognate with Old Frisian erm, Old Saxon arm, Dutch arm, Old High German arm (German arm), Old Norse armr (Danish and Swedish arm), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌼𐍃 (arms).

Adjective

earm

2. poor, miserable
   • 10th century, The Wanderer:

     Ðonne sorg ond slǣp · somod ætgædre
     earmne ānhogan · oft ġebindað,

     Then sorrow and sleep together at once
     oft bind the poor loner,

   • Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church

     Æfter þyssere sprǣċe cōmon ðā drȳmen, and hæfdon him mid tweġen ormǣte dracan, ðǣra orðung ācwealde þæt earme mennisċ: ac sē apostol Matheus þā dracan ġeswefode, and siððan of ðām lande adrǣfde, swā þæt hī næfre siððan þǣr ġesewene nǣron.

     After this speech came the sorcerers, who had two enormous dragons which them, whose breath killed that poor man: but the apostle Matthew lulled the dragons to sleep, and then drove them from the land, so that they have never been seen there since.

Declension

Declension of earm — Strong

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	earm	earm	earm
Accusative	earmne	earme	earm
Genitive	earmes	earmre	earmes
Dative	earmum	earmre	earmum
Instrumental	earme	earmre	earme
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	earme	earma, earme	earm
Accusative	earme	earma, earme	earm
Genitive	earmra	earmra	earmra
Dative	earmum	earmum	earmum
Instrumental	earmum	earmum	earmum

Declension of earm — Weak

Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	earma	earme	earme
Accusative	earman	earman	earme
Genitive	earman	earman	earman
Dative	earman	earman	earman
Instrumental	earman	earman	earman
Plural	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	earman	earman	earman
Accusative	earman	earman	earman
Genitive	earmra, earmena	earmra, earmena	earmra, earmena
Dative	earmum	earmum	earmum
Instrumental	earmum	earmum	earmum

Derived terms

• earmċeariġ
• earmheort
• earmian
• earmlīċ

Descendants

• Middle English: arm
  • English: arm
  • Scots: arm

West Frisian

Picture dictionary

earm

skouder

boppe-earm

earmtakke

ûnderearm

pols

hân

Click on labels in the image

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limb

Etymology 1

From Old Frisian erm, from Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ermos, *h₂ŕ̥mos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /jɛrm/, /ɪə̯rm/

Noun

earm c (plural earms or earmen, diminutive earmke)

2. arm

Derived terms

• earmtakke

Further reading

• “earm (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

Etymology 2

From Old Frisian *arm, erm, from Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁erm.

Adjective

earm

2. poor

Inflection

Inflection of earm
uninflected	earm
inflected	earme
comparative	earmer
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		earm	earmer	it earmst it earmste
indefinite	c. sing.	earme	earmere	earmste
	n. sing.	earm	earmer	earmste
	plural	earme	earmere	earmste
definite		earme	earmere	earmste
partitive		earms	earmers	—

Further reading

• “earm (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011