come

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kʌm/^[1][2]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English comen, earlier cumen,^[3][4] inherited from Old English cuman (“to come”),^[5][6] from Proto-Germanic *kwem-,^[5][3] from Proto-Indo-European *gʷem- (“to go, come”).^[7][8][9] Its cognates include Dutch komen, German kommen, Old Norse koma and Gothic 𐌵𐌹𐌼𐌰𐌽 (qiman),^[5][4] and outside Germanic Latin venīre (“to come”), Ancient Greek βαίνειν (baínein, “to go”) and Sanskrit गच्छति (gácchati, “goes”).^[4][10][9] The Middle English spelling with o for Old English u was a scribal habit before letters made of short strokes, to avoid misreading.^[5] The Middle English past tense cam, came, probably from kvam, replaced Old English cuōm, cōm;^[5][3] the old past participle comen lost its -n and became come.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

To move so as to reach a place, to arrive; also to appear, to recover, to assemble (Old English, before 830, in the Vespasian Psalter).^[8][5]

Semantic evolution

Come is the basic verb of motion towards the speaker, or towards a point where the speaker places themselves, as opposed to go.^[11][2] The sense “to happen, occur” dates from the early 12th century, and come to pass from the 1520s.^[5] As an invitation to act it is recorded from about 1300, and as an appeal (come, come, come now) from the mid-14th century.^[5] Of butter, to form in the churn, it dates from 1577;^[12] the subjunctive use before a date, as in come Wednesday, “when Wednesday comes”, is recorded from 1417.^[12][13] From the early 18th century it also meant to adopt an attitude or try a trick, as in don't come that game,^[12][14] and come again?, “what did you say?”, is attested by 1884.^[5] The verb is remarkably productive with prepositions and adverbs (come to, come over, come off).^[5] The sexual sense, to reach orgasm, is recorded from about 1600 in Shakespeare;^[14][15][12] the noun meaning semen dates from 1923.^[16][17] In South African English to come right, to turn out well, is a calque of Afrikaans regkom.^[18]

Timeline

• before 830 – Old English cuman, in the Vespasian Psalter.^[8]
• early 12th century – to happen, occur.^[5]
• c. 1300 – as an invitation to action.^[5]
• 1417 – before a time, “when … comes”.^[12]
• 1520s – come to pass.^[5]
• 1577 – of butter, to form in churning.^[12]
• c. 1600 – to reach orgasm.^[14][15]
• 1721 – to act like, play a trick.^[12]
• 1884 – come again?.^[5]
• 1923 – as a noun, semen.^[16][17]

Modern meaning

Verb

1. To move towards the speaker or a particular place; to approach.
2. To arrive, by movement or in the course of time: the time has come.
3. To appear or become perceptible; to occur to the mind.
4. To happen or take place; to result: no good will come of it.
5. To reach or extend to a point: the dress comes to her knees.
6. To have a particular place in an order: your turn comes next.
7. To reach a state or condition; to become: came to regard him as a friend or come undone.
8. To originate or be derived; to be available in a form: comes in three sizes.
9. (vulgar slang) To reach orgasm.

Noun

1. (vulgar slang) Semen; orgasm.

Preposition

1. When a stated time arrives: come spring.

Interjection

1. Used to urge, encourage or rebuke: come, come.

Word family

• cum

Related words

• become
• welcome
• venue
• advent
• basis

Usage notes

Come marks motion towards the point of view of the speaker or listener, go motion away from it or not involving it.^[2][11] For the sexual noun many style guides allow the spelling cum, and some keep come for all formal use.^[2] Merriam-Webster lists come and comed as substandard past forms, and British dialectal cam.^[4]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
3. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (2000), 4th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
9. ^ a b Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
10. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
11. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
12. ^ a b c d e f g Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
13. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
14. ^ a b c Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
15. ^ a b Dalzell, Tom; Victor, Terry, eds. (2013), The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, 2nd ed., London: Routledge
16. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
17. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
18. ^ A Dictionary of South African English on Historical Principles, Dictionary Unit for South African English, https://dsae.co.za