An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/lahm

by Friedrich Kluge

lahm, adj., ‘lame,’ from MidHG. and OHG. lam (gen. lames), ‘weak in the limbs, lame.’ The more general meaning, ‘weak in the limbs,’ is the orig. one, since an adj. with a different gradation belonging to the same stem — OHG. luomi, MidHG. lüeme — signifies ‘wearied, relaxed,’ and even ‘gentle.’ Yet OIc. lame, AS. lama, E. lame, OSax. lamo, and Du. lam, ‘lame,’ show that the prevalent ModHG. meaning is primitive (in Goth. halts, AS. halt, equiv. to Lat. claudus, Sans. khoḍa). An old lama-, ‘weak, infirm’ (from which Prov. lam is borrowed), suggests OSlov. lomlją (lomiti), ‘to break’ (root lam); Russ. lomóta, ‘rheumatic pains.’ Comp. also Scand. lemja, ‘to lame, disable.’