thombe

See also: þombe

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English þūma, from Proto-West Germanic *þūmō, from Proto-Germanic *þūmô.

As shown by their early attestation, spellings with final -b- are not mere hypercorrect forms, but rather represent pronunciations with /b/; such pronunciations presumably originated in a plural *thomben (from Old English þūman). Such a plural form is also presumably the origin of variants with a short vowel.

Alternative forms

• tombe, þom, þomb, þombe, þome, þoombe, þoumb, þoumbe, þoume, þowmbe, þumb, þumbe, þume
• tumb (Northern)
• þhomme (West Midland)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθumb(ə)/, /ˈθuːmb(ə)/, /ˈθum(ə)/, /ˈθuːm(ə)/

Noun

thombe (plural thombes)

2. thumb (opposable digit)
3. thumb-length (unit of length)
4. (rare) big toe

Descendants

• English: thumb
• Scots: thoum
• Yola: thoome, thoume

References

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

Etymology 2

Noun

thombe (plural thombes)

1. Alternative form of tombe (“tomb”)