An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/brummen

by Friedrich Kluge

brummen, vb., ‘to growl, snarl, grumble,’ from MidHG. brummen, wk. vb., ‘to growl, hum,’ a deriv, of the MidHG. str. vb. brimmen, ‘to growl, roar’ (comp. the equiv. MidE. brimmen). This again is cognate with MidHG. brëmen, OHG. brëman, str. vb., ‘to growl, roar,’ since mm belongs properly only to the pres. and not to the other tenses. The cognates of the stem brëm-, which these verbs indicate, also includes OIc. brim, ‘surge,’ MidE. brim, ‘glow’ (E. brimstone); other related words may be found under Bremse. The Teut. root brem, pre-Teut. bhrëm, appears in Lat. fremere, ‘to gnash,’ with which some are fond of comparing Gr. βρέμεω, ‘to rumble.’ The OInd. bhram as a verbal stem significs ‘to move unsteadily’; bhramá, n., ‘whirling flame,’ bhrmí, m., ‘whirlwind.’ Hence the meaning ‘to rush, gnash, crackle,’ seems to have been developed from a vibrating motion, especially that of sound. See the following word.