womb
/wuːm/
noun
Origin
Proto-Germanic
*wambō — belly, womb
Overview
Meaning Now
- The organ in female mammals in which offspring are conceived and gestate before birth; the uterus.
- A place in which something is generated or develops; a source or cradle.
Literal older meaning
belly or abdomen
Language path
Proto-Indo-European → Proto-Germanic → Old English → English
Earliest form
womb
Earliest period
Old English period
Journey
The word originally shared a common ancestry with words for 'belly' across Germanic languages. In Old English, it was often used to describe the stomach or internal organs. It wasn't until the Middle English period that its usage became largely confined to the anatomical site of pregnancy, distancing itself from the stomach.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*wambō
“belly”
- Old English
womb
“belly, abdomen, or uterus”
Initially referred generally to the gut or abdomen.
- Middle English
wombe
“uterus; interior of something”
- Modern English
womb
“the uterus”
The meaning narrowed significantly from the general belly to the reproductive organ.
Connections
Word parts
womb
root
uterus or belly
Related across languages
Old High German
wamba
belly
Old Norse
vomb
belly
Gothic
wamba
stomach or belly
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External references use DefinedTerm semantics.