lame
English
/leɪm/
adj
Definitions
- Unable to walk properly because of a problem with one's feet or legs.
- Moving with pain or difficulty on account of injury, defect or temporary obstruction of a function.
- (by extension) Hobbling; limping; inefficient; imperfect.
- (slang) Unconvincing or unbelievable.
- (slang) Failing to be cool, funny, interesting or relevant.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English lame inherited from Old English lama (lame) inherited from Proto-Germanic *lamaz (lame, withered, defective) derived from Proto-Indo-European *lem- (break, soften, fragile, crush).
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*lem-
Gloss
break, soften, fragile, crush
Concept
Semantic Field
Basic actions and technology
Ontological Category
Action/Process
Emoji
💔
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- brain English
- brained English
- lamage English
- lame-o English
- lamebrain English
- lamebrained English
- lamely English
- lameness English
- lameo English
- lameoid English
- lamer English
- lamesauce English
- lametastic English
- laming English
- lamish English
- *h₃lemH- Proto-Indo-European
- *lem- Proto-Indo-European
- *lemesi-o- Proto-Indo-European
- *lamaz Proto-Germanic
- *lōmiz Proto-Germanic
- lama Old English
- lōma Old English
- lame Middle English
- laminge Middle English
- lam Old High German
- lamama Estonian
- lame Estonian
- *lama Proto-Finnic
- lamm Alemannic German
- lom Old Frisian
- laahm Pennsylvania German