loom
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: From Middle English lome, from Old English *lōma, ġelōma (“tool, utensil, implement, article of furniture, household effect”) (also as andlōma, andġelōma, andlama (“utensil, instrument, implement, tool, vessel”), from Proto-West Germanic *lōmō, *lamō (“tool, utensil”), of uncertain origin. Cognate with Dutch alaam, allaam (“tool, household ware or good, appliance”), from Middle Dutch andlame. Perhaps originally meaning "a thing of frequent use, thing repeatedly needed", in which case, akin to Old English ġelōme (“often, frequently, continually, repeatedly”), from Proto-Germanic *ga- + *lōmiz, *lōmijaz (“lame, halt”), from Proto-Indo-European *lem- (“to break, soften”).
Compare Old High German giluomo, kilōmo (“often, frequently”), Old High German luomen (“to wear out, fatigue”), Old High German *luomī (as in gastluomī (“hospitality”), Old English lama (“lame”). See lame.
Outside Proto-Germanic cognate with Russian ломи́ть (lomítʹ, “to break”), лома́ть (lomátʹ, “to break, to fracture”), ле́мех (lémex, “ploughshare”).
Compare typologically Serbo-Croatian ра́збо̄ј (“loom (weaving frame)”) akin to ра̀збити (“to break, to smash, to crack”).
Inflected forms:
form: looms
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: looms
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: looming
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: loomed
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: loomed
pos: verb
tags: past
Senses:
gloss: A utensil; tool; a weapon; (usually in compound) an article in general.
pos: noun
examples: heirloom, workloom
gloss: A frame or machine of wood or other material, in which a weaver forms cloth out of thread; a machine for interweaving yarn or threads into a fabric, as in knitting or lace making.
pos: noun
examples: January 8, 1751, Samuel Johnson, "The Mischiefs of Total Idleness" in The Rambler
Hector, when he sees Andromache overwhelmed with terror, sends her for consolation to the loom and the distaff.
gloss: The part of an oar which is between the grip or handle and the blade; the shaft.
pos: noun
gloss: To appear indistinctly, e.g. when seen on the horizon or through the murk.
pos: verb
tags: intransitive
examples: The clouds loomed over the mountains.
[…] yonder cloud
That rises upward always higher,
⁠And onward drags a labouring breast,
⁠And topples round the dreary west,
A looming bastion fringed with fire.
gloss: To appear in an exaggerated or threatening form; (of a person or thing) to tower; (of an idea) to impressively or intimidatingly occupy the mind; (of an event) to be imminent.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
examples: With no extra-time to be played and penalties looming, the Portuguese winger pounced on some hesitant City defending to run on to a Wayne Rooney clearance, round Joe Hart and slot home.
In the meantime, SWR staff have warned privately that an acute shortage of rolling stock is looming, because the new trains are not ready.
The incident erupted as tensions simmered over Donald Trump’s looming takeover of DC and his administration’s use of force to brutally achieve his anti-migrant agenda.
gloss: To rise and to be eminent; to be elevated or ennobled, in a moral sense.
pos: verb
tags: figuratively
intransitive
examples: On no occasion does he [Paul] loom so high, and shine so gloriously, as in the context.
Derived words: autoloom
backstrap loom
blessing loom
broadloom
drawloom
handloom
heirloom
hog-loom
hog loom
Jacquard loom
loom band
loomless
loom weight
loomworks
needle loom
power loom
satinet loom
warkloom
wiring loom
workloom
loom ahead
loomingly
loom large
uploom
Translations: