crumb
/krʌm/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*krum- — crumb, fragment
Overview
Meaning Now
- A small fragment of bread, cake, or biscuit.
- A very small piece or amount of something, especially something abstract like comfort or hope.
Literal older meaning
a small piece or morsel
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Middle English → English
Earliest form
crume
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The 'b' in 'crumb' is etymologically redundant. It does not appear in the Old English 'crume'. It was added in the 1500s by analogy to words like 'thumb' and 'limb', which had an etymological 'b'.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*krumon-
“crumb”
- Old English
crume
“crumb”
- Middle English
crumme
“crumb”
- Early Modern English
crumb
“crumb”
The silent 'b' was added in the 16th century, likely influenced by the spelling of related words like 'thumb' or 'dumb'.
Connections
Word parts
crumb
root
fragment
Related across languages
Dutch
kruim
crumb
German
Krume
crumb
Explore next
Related to crumb
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.