lamb

See also: Lamb

English

A sheep and lambs.

A lamb.

Etymology

From Middle English lamb, from Old English lamb, from Proto-Germanic *lambaz (compare Dutch lam, German Lamm, Swedish lamm, Finnish lammas), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁l̥h₁onbʰos (compare Scottish Gaelic lon (“elk”), Ancient Greek ἔλαφος (élaphos, “red deer”)), enlargement of *h₁elh₁én. More at elk.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /læm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æm

Noun

lamb (plural lambs or (dialectal) lamber or (dialectal) lambren)

1. A young sheep.
2. The flesh of a lamb or sheep used as food.
3. (figuratively) A person who is meek, docile and easily led.
4. A simple, unsophisticated person.
5. (finance, slang) One who ignorantly speculates on the stock exchange and is victimized.

Synonyms

• sheepling

Derived terms

Derived terms

• Lambeth
• lamblike
• lamb's lettuce
• lamb's tongue

• lambswool
• lamb to the slaughter/like a lamb to the slaughter/come like a lamb to the slaughter
• paschal lamb

Translations

young sheep

• Albanian: qengj (sq), bec (sq), sheleg (sq), rrunë (sq)
• Arabic: حَمَل‎ (ar) m (ḥamal), خَرُوف‎ m (ḵarūf)

  Egyptian Arabic: أُوزي‎ m (ʾūzī)

  Moroccan Arabic: خروف‎ m (ḵrūf), خروفة‎ f (ḵrūfa), نعجة‎ f (naʿja), حولي‎ m (ḥawli)

• Armenian: գառ (hy) (gaṙ)

  Old Armenian: գառն (gaṙn)

• Aromanian: njel m, njauã f, njioarã f
• Asturian: corderu m
• Azerbaijani: quzu (az)
• Bakhtiari: بره‎ (bare)
• Bashkir: бәрәс (bäräs)
• Basque: arkume (eu) n
• Belarusian: ягня́ n (jahnjá), ягнё n (jahnjó), бара́нчык m (baránčyk)
• Breton: oan (br) m
• Bulgarian: а́гне (bg) n (ágne)
• Burmese: သိုးကလေး (my) (sui:ka.le:)
• Buryat: хурьган (xurʹgan)
• Catalan: xai (ca) m, anyell (ca), corder (ca) m, be (ca) m
• Chechen: ӏахар (ʿaχar)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 羊羔 (zh) (yánggāo), 羔 (zh) (gāo), 羔羊 (zh) (gāoyáng)

• Classical Nahuatl: ichcaconētl
• Cornish: on m
• Czech: jehně (cs) n, beránek (cs) m
• Dalmatian: anjial m, sugol m
• Danish: lam (da) n
• Dutch: lam (nl) n, lammetje (nl) n
• Esperanto: ŝafido (eo)
• Estonian: tall (et)
• Faroese: lamb n
• Finnish: karitsa (fi)
• French: agneau (fr) m, agnelle (fr) f

  Old French: agniau m

• Friulian: agnel m
• Galician: año (gl) m, rexelo (gl) m, neixente m,cordeiro (gl) m, andosco m, carruxo m, añagota f
• Georgian: ბატკანი (baṭḳani)
• German: Lamm (de) n
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌹𐌸𐍂𐌿𐍃 m (wiþrus), 𐌻𐌰𐌼𐌱 n (lamb)
• Greek: αρνί (el) n (arní)

  Ancient: ἀμνός m (amnós), ἀρήν m (arḗn)

• Greenlandic: savaaraq
• Hebrew: טָלֶה‎ (he) m (talé), שֶׂה‎ (he) m (se)
• Hindi: बर्रा (hi) f (barrā), मेमना (hi) f (memnā)
• Hungarian: bárány (hu)
• Icelandic: lamb (is) n
• Ido: (♂♀) mutonyuno (io), (♂) mutonyunulo, (♀) mutonyunino
• Indonesian: anak domba (id)
• Ingrian: voonna
• Ingush: ӏаьхарг (ʿäχarg)
• Irish: uan (ga) m

  Old Irish: úan m

• Italian: agnello (it) m, (newborn) agnellino m, agnella (it) f
• Japanese: 子羊 (こひつじ, kohitsuji), 小羊 (こひつじ, kohitsuji), ラム (ramu)
• Kalmyk: хурһн (xurhn)
• Kashmiri: چھِرٕ‎ (chirụ)
• Korean: 어린양 (eorinyang)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: بەرخ‎ (ku) (berx)

  Laki: وەرک‎ (ku) (werk), ڤەرک‎ (verk)

  Northern Kurdish: berx (ku)

  Southern Kurdish: وەرک‎ (ku) (werk)

• Latin: agnus (la) m, agnellus m
• Latvian: jērs m
• Livonian: ūoņki
• Low German: Lamm (nds) n, Schaaplamm n, Schooplamm n, Bählamm n, (♂) Bucklamm n, (♀) Aulamm n
• Macedonian: јагне n (jagne)
• Maltese: ħaruf m
• Manx: eayn m
• Maori: reme
• Marathi: कोकरू n (kokrū)
• Mazanderani: ورکا‎ (varkā)
• Megleno-Romanian: ńel m
• Mi'kmaq: jijgluewji'j anim
• Mongolian: хурга (mn) (khurga)
• Navajo: dibé yázhí
• Norman: angné m
• Norwegian: lam (no) n
• Occitan: anhèl (oc) m, anhèla (oc) f
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: агнѧ n (agnę), агньць m (agnĭcĭ)

• Old East Slavic: агньць m (agnĭcĭ), ꙗгнѧ n (jagnę), агнѧ n (agnę)
• Old English: lamb (ang) n, ēan
• Old Norse: lamb n
• Ossetian: уӕрыкк (wærykk)
• Persian: بره‎ (fa) (barre, bare)
• Punjabi: ਲੇਲਾ (pa) m (lelā)
• Polish: jagnię (pl) n, baranek (pl) m
• Portuguese: anho (pt) m, cordeiro (pt) m
• Romanian: miel (ro) m, mioară (ro) f, mia (ro) f
• Romansch: agnè m, tschut m
• Russian: ягнёнок (ru) m (jagnjónok), а́гнец (ru) m (ágnec) (archaic, biblical), бара́шек (ru) m (barášek)
• Sardinian: angione m, anzone m, bitti
• Scots: lammie
• Scottish Gaelic: uan m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јагње n (Bosnian, Serbian), јање n (Croatian)

  Roman: jagnje (sh) n (Bosnian, Serbian), janje (sh) n (Croatian)

• Sicilian: agneddu (scn) m
• Slovak: jahňa n, baránok m
• Slovene: jágnje (sl) n
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: jagnje n

• Spanish: cordero (es) m
• Svan: ჟინაღ (žinaɣ)
• Swahili: mwanakondoo (sw)
• Swedish: lamm (sv) c
• Tagalog: kordero
• Taos: k’ùo’ȕ’úna
• Turkish: kuzu (tr)
• Ugaritic: 𐎛𐎎𐎗 (ỉmr)
• Ukrainian: ягня́ (uk) n (jahnjá), ягня́тко (uk) n (jahnjátko), бара́нчик (uk) m (baránčyk)
• Uyghur: پاقلان‎ (paqlan)
• Venetian: agneło m, agnel, gnel, ciot m, gnelot m
• Vietnamese: cừu con, cừu non
• Volapük: (♂♀) jipül (vo), (♂) hijipül, (♀) jijipül, (diminutive ♂♀) jipülil (vo), (obsolete) liäm, (obsolete) smajip, (unweaned ♂♀) sugajipül, (unweaned ♂) sugahijipül, (unweaned ♀) sugajijipül
• Votic: talli, võdna
• Walloon: bedot (wa) m, agnea (wa) m
• Welsh: oen (cy) m
• West Frisian: lamme n
• Wolof: mbote mi (wo)
• Yiddish: לאַם‎ n (lam)
• Zazaki: kavırek, kavir

flesh of lamb as food

• Albanian: please add this translation if you can
• Asturian: corderu m
• Belarusian: ягня́ціна f (jahnjácina)
• Bulgarian: агнешко n (agneško)
• Burmese: သိုးသား (my) (sui:sa:)
• Catalan: xai (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 羊肉 (joeng⁴ juk⁶)

  Mandarin: 羊肉 (zh) (yángròu)

• Czech: jehněčí n
• Danish: lammekød (da) n
• Dutch: lam (nl) n, lamsvlees (nl) n
• Esperanto: ŝafidaĵo
• Finnish: karitsa (fi), karitsanliha
• French: agneau (fr) m
• Georgian: ბატკნის ხორცი (baṭḳnis xorci)
• German: Lamm (de) n, Lammfleisch (de) n
• Greek: αρνί (el) n (arní)
• Hebrew: טָלֶה‎ (he) m (talé)
• Hungarian: bárányhús (hu)
• Icelandic: lambakjöt (is) n, lamb (is) n
• Ido: mutonyunokarno
• Irish: uaineoil f
• Italian: agnello (it) m
• Japanese: ラム (ramu), 羊肉 (ja) (ようにく, yōniku)
• Korean: 양고기 (ko) (yanggogi)
• Kurdish:

  Central Kurdish: گۆشتی بەرخ‎ (goştî berx)

• Latin: agnina f
• Maltese: ħaruf m
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: lammekjøtt n

  Nynorsk: lammekjøt n, lammekjøtt n

• Polish: jagnięcina (pl) f
• Portuguese: cordeiro (pt) m
• Romanian: miel (ro) m
• Russian: бара́нина (ru) f (baránina), ягня́тина (ru) f (jagnjátina)
• Scottish Gaelic: feòil-uain f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: јагњетина f

  Roman: jagnjetina (sh) f

• Slovene: jágnjetina, jagnjetína f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: jagnjece měso, jagnjeśina f

• Spanish: cordero (es) m, carne de cordero f
• Swedish: lamm (sv) n, lammkött (sv) n
• Tagalog: tupa (tl)
• Turkish: kuzu (tr)
• Tuvan: хураган (xuragan)
• Ukrainian: ягня́тина (uk) f (jahnjátyna)
• Welsh: cig oen m

meek person

• Basque: bildots (eu)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 羔羊

  Mandarin: 羔羊 (zh) (gāoyáng)

• Finnish: lammas (fi)

• Greek: αρνάκι (el) n (arnáki)
• Portuguese: cordeiro (pt) m
• Romanian: mielușel (ro) m
• Russian: овца́ (ru) f (ovcá), ове́чка (ru) f (ovéčka), ягнёнок (ru) m (jagnjónok), а́гнец (ru) m (ágnec)
• Turkish: kuzu (tr)

Verb

lamb (third-person singular simple present lambs, present participle lambing, simple past and past participle lambed)

1. (intransitive) Of a sheep, to give birth.
2. (transitive or intransitive) To assist (sheep) to give birth.

   The shepherd was up all night, lambing her young ewes.

Translations

of a sheep, to give birth

• Bulgarian: обагням се (obagnjam se)
• Dutch: lammeren (nl)
• Finnish: karitsoida

• French: mettre bas (fr)
• Turkish: kuzulamak (tr)
• Welsh: wyna (cy)

to assist sheep to give birth

• Finnish: karitsoittaa

Anagrams

• ALBM, BAML, BLAM, LBMA, balm, blam

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Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse lamb, from Proto-Germanic *lambaz.

Noun

lamb n (genitive singular lambs, plural lomb)

1. lamb (both the animal and meat)
2. kid (baby goat)
3. (playing cards, stýrivolt) seven of the chosen cards (trump seven)

Declension

n8	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	lamb	lambið	lomb	lombini
Accusative	lamb	lambið	lomb	lombini
Dative	lambi	lambinum	lombum	lombunum
Genitive	lambs	lambsins	lamba	lambanna

Derived terms

• gimburlamb (female lamb)
• veðurlamb (male lamb)

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Gothic

Romanization

lamb

1. Romanization of 𐌻𐌰𐌼𐌱

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Icelandic

Etymology

From Old Norse lamb, from Proto-Germanic *lambaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lamp/
• Rhymes: -amp

Noun

lamb n (genitive singular lambs, nominative plural lömb)

1. a lamb

Declension

declension of lamb

n-s	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	lamb	lambið	lömb	lömbin
accusative	lamb	lambið	lömb	lömbin
dative	lambi	lambinu	lömbum	lömbunum
genitive	lambs	lambsins	lamba	lambanna

Derived terms

• launa lambið gráa
• ljúfur sem lamb
• vatna lömbum (compare the Old Norse krjúpa at keldu)

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• lomb, lombe, loumbe, lambe, lom, lame, lamme

Etymology

From Old English lamb, from Proto-West Germanic *lamb, from Proto-Germanic *lambaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lam(b)/, /laːm(b)/, /lɔm(b)/, /lɔːm(b)/

Noun

lamb (plural lambes or lamber or lambren)

1. A lamb, its meat, or its skin.
2. A Christian believer.

Descendants

• English: lamb
• Scots: lam, lamb
• Yola: lhawm, lowem

References

• “lō̆mb, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse lamb.

Noun

lamb n (definite singular lambet, definite singular dative lambe, indefinite plural lomb, definite plural lombi, definite plural dative lombom)

1. a lamb (young sheep); form removed with the spelling reform of 1938; superseded by lam
2. (by extension, Christianity, figuratively) Christ as sacrificial lamb

Inflection

Historical inflection of lamb indefinite singular definite singular indefinite plural definite plural Aasen1 Lamb Lambet Lomb Lombi 1901 lamb lambet (lambe) lamb lambi 1938 lam Forms in italics are currently considered non-standard. Forms in [brackets] were official, but considered second-tier. Forms in (parentheses) were allowed under Midlandsnormalen. 1Nouns were capitalised for most of the 19th century.

Derived terms

• lambekjøt
• påskelamb (“Passover lamb, Paschal Lamb”)

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Old English

Alternative forms

• lemb, lomb, lomber

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *lambaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lɑmb/

Noun

lamb n (nominative plural lambru)

1. lamb

Declension

West Saxon:

Declension of lamb (strong z-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	lamb	lambru
accusative	lamb	lambru
genitive	lambes	lambra
dative	lambe	lambrum

Anglian:

Declension of lamb

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	lomb	lombur, lomberu
accusative	lomb	lombur, lomberu
genitive	lombur	lombra
dative	lombur	lombrum

Descendants

• Middle English: lamb, lomb, lambe
  • English: lamb
  • Scots: lam, lamb

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Old High German

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *lambaz, whence also Old Saxon lamb, Old English lamb, Old Norse lamb, Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐌼𐌱 (lamb)

Noun

lamb n

1. lamb

Declension

declension of lamb

	singular	plural
nominative	lamb	lembir
accusative	lamb	lembir
genitive	lambes	lembiro
dative	lambe	lembirum, lembirom
instrumental	lambu, lambo	lembirum, lembirom

Descendants

• Middle High German: lamp, lam
  • Cimbrian: lamp
  • German: Lamm
  • Luxembourgish: Lamm
  • Vilamovian: łamm
  • Yiddish: לאַם‎ (lam)

References

1. Köbler, Gerhard, Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch, (6. Auflage) 2014
2. Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer, Second Edition

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Old Norse

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *lambaz.

Noun

lamb n (genitive lambs, plural lǫmb)

1. a lamb

Declension

  Declension of lamb (strong a-stem)

neuter	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	lamb	lambit	lǫmb	lǫmbin
accusative	lamb	lambit	lǫmb	lǫmbin
dative	lambi	lambinu	lǫmbum	lǫmbunum
genitive	lambs	lambsins	lamba	lambanna

Descendants

• Danish: lam (Old Danish lamb)
• Faroese: lamb
• Icelandic: lamb

• Norwegian: lam
• Swedish: lamm; (older and dialectal) lamb (Old Swedish lamb)

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Old Saxon

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *lambaz.

Noun

lamb n

1. lamb

Declension

Declension of lamb (z-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	lamb	lambiru
accusative	lamb	lambiru
genitive	lambes	lambirō
dative	lambe	lambirum
instrumental	—	—

Descendants

• Low German: Lamm