Etymology
1. O.E.
tom, tam "domesticated, docile," from P.Gmc.
*tamaz (cf. O.N.
tamr, O.S., O.Fris., M.L.G., M.Du.
tam, O.H.G.
zam, Ger.
zahm "tame," Goth.
tamjan "to tame"), from PIE
*deme- "to constrain, to force, to break (horses)" (cf. Skt.
damayati "tames;" Pers.
dam "a tame animal;" Gk.
daman "to tame, subdue,"
dmetos "tame;" L.
domare "to tame, subdue;" O.Ir.
damnaim "I tie up, fasten, I tame, subdue"). Possible ulterior connection with PIE
*dem- "house, household" (see domestic). Meaning "spiritless, weak, dull" is recorded from 1602. The verb is M.E.
teme, from O.E.
temian "make tame;" form altered 14c. by infl. of the adj.
2. From Middle English tame, tome, weak inflection forms of Middle English tam, tom, from Old English tam, tom (“domesticated, tame”), from Proto-West Germanic *tam (“tame”), from Proto-Germanic *tamaz (“brought into the home, tame”), from Proto-Indo-European *demh₂- (“to tame, dominate”).
3. Cognate with Scots tam, tame (“tame”), Saterland Frisian tom (“tame”), West Frisian tam (“tame”), Dutch tam (“tame”), Low German Low German tamm, tahm (“tame”), German zahm (“tame”), Danish tam (“tame”), Swedish tam (“tame”), Icelandic tamur (“tame”).
4. The verb is from Middle English tamen, temen, temien, from Old English temian (“to tame”), from Proto-West Germanic *tammjan, from Proto-Germanic *tamjaną (“to tame”). See: Middle English '
tame', Middle English '
tamen', Old English '
temian', Proto-Germanic '
*tamjaną'.
Verbs referencing "tame"
Sanskrit
दाम्यति, Bengali, Sadhu bhasha
দমা.