earm

earm¹ arm

Pronunciation

• /æ͜ɑrm/, [æ͜ɑrˠm]^[1]

Forms

earm m (strong a-stem; genitive singular earmes, nominative plural earmas)^[1]

Etymology

The word for the arm is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *arm, from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“arm”).^[1][2] The Proto-Germanic noun is continued in Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌼𐍃 (arms), Old Norse armr, Old Frisian erm, Old Saxon arm and Old High German aram.^[2][3]

Kroonen explains it as an old ablauting noun in ⟨-m-⟩, with the nominative ⟨*h₂érh₂-m⟩ and the genitive ⟨*h₂rh₂-m-és⟩, and he sees a trace of that paradigm in the Gothic noun's inflection as an i-stem.^[2] Köbler and Wiktionary trace it to Proto-Indo-European *h₂er- (“to fit, to join”).^[3][1] Outside Germanic it is matched by Latin armus (“shoulder of an animal”), Old Church Slavonic рамо (ramo, “shoulder”), Ancient Greek ἁρμός (harmós, “joint”), Old Prussian irmo (“arm”) and Sanskrit ईर्म (īrmá, “arm”).^[4][1]

Before ⟨r⟩ and a consonant the vowel was broken to the diphthong spelled ⟨ea⟩; the Northumbrian and early Mercian texts often have a retracted vowel instead, as in ⟨arm⟩, though the Durham Ritual gloss writes ⟨earm⟩.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The noun is recorded from the mid-ninth century: the Vespasian Psalter gloss has sette swe swe bogan ærenne earmas mine “(he) made my arms like a bow of bronze” over the Latin “posuit ut arcum aereum brachia mea” of Psalm 17.^[6][7]

Semantic evolution

Besides the arm of the body, Clark Hall gives the word for an arm of the sea, recorded in the Orosius, and for an animal's foreleg;^[8] Toller's Supplement cites a lioness digging a den with her forelegs.^[8][9] In the psalms earm renders Latin brachium also in the figurative sense of strength or power.^[10][8] The laws fix compensation for a broken or pierced arm.^[10][11] It survives as Middle English arm and the modern arm.^[12][13]

Timeline

• s. ix med. – earmas mine “my arms” in the Vespasian Psalter gloss.^[6][7]
• s. x¹ or x²/⁴ – an arm of the ocean in the Old English Orosius.^[14][8]
• s. x/xi – earm in the Beowulf manuscript.^[15][16]
• 1123 – Middle English earmes “arms” in the Peterborough Chronicle.^[12]

Meanings

Noun

1. an arm.^[10][3]
2. an arm of the sea, an inlet.^[8][17]
3. the foreleg of an animal.^[9]
4. (figurative) strength, power.^[8]

Word family

• earmbēag

Descendants

• Middle English arm (→ English arm; Middle Scots arm; Middle Scots arme)^[1]

earm² poor, wretched

Pronunciation

• /æ͜ɑrm/, [æ͜ɑrˠm]^[1]

Forms

earm (superlative earmost)^[1]

Etymology

The word for “poor” is inherited from Proto-Germanic *armaz (“poor, miserable”).^[1][2] It is shared by Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌼𐍃 (arms), Old Norse armr, Old Frisian erm, Old Saxon arm and Old High German aram.^[2][18]

Its further origin is disputed.^[2][19] Kroonen favours the traditional derivation from Proto-Indo-European *h₃orbʰ-mo-, from the root *h₃erbʰ-, with ⟨b⟩ lost before ⟨m⟩, because Old Norse aumr (“miserable, poor”) seems to continue a variant ⟨*arbmaz⟩;^[2] he also discusses *h₁or-mo-, which would join Hittite erman (“sickness”).^[2] Köbler compares the root of the word for an orphan with a query.^[19]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest dated record of the adjective is in the Pastoral Care of King Alfred's time (890×897), in a list of the kinds of people a teacher must admonish in different ways: on oðre wisan earme, on oðre eadige “the poor in one way, the prosperous in another”.^[20][7]

Semantic evolution

The adjective means poor in goods and also miserable, wretched or pitiful;^[21][17] Toller's Supplement adds a moral sense, “despicable”.^[21][9][17] It is common in poetry: in Beowulf the hero has not heard of a earmran mannan “more wretched man”.^[21][22] In the laws the pair earm and ēadiġ means “poor and rich”, everyone.^[11] It survives as Middle English arm “poor, miserable”, still in the pair edi and arm.^[12]

Timeline

• 890×897 – earme “the poor” in the Pastoral Care (Hatton 20).^[20][7]
• s. x/xi – earmran mannan “a more wretched man” in the Beowulf manuscript.^[15][22]

Meanings

Adjective

1. poor, destitute.^[21][19]
2. miserable, wretched, pitiful.^[21][22]
3. (moral) despicable.^[9][17]

Word family

• earmlīċ
• earmlīċe
• iermþu

Descendants

• Middle English arm (→ English arm; Scots arm)^[1]