loom

Meanings

Noun

• A utensil; tool; a weapon; an article in general.
• 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.
• The part of an oar which is between the grip or handle and the blade, the shaft.
• loon (bird of order Gaviiformes)
• A distorted appearance of something as seen indistinctly or from afar.

Verb

• To appear indistinctly, eg. when seen on the horizon or through the murk.
• 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.
• To rise and to be eminent; to be elevated or ennobled, in a moral sense.

Origin

• From Middle English lome, from Old English lōma, ġelōma (also as andlōma, andġelōma, andlāma, of uncertain origin. Cognate with Middle Dutch allame ("tool"). Perhaps originally meaning "a thing of frequent use", in which case, akin to Old English ġelōme ("often, frequently, continually, repeatedly"), from Proto-Germanic *ga- + *lōmiz, *lōmijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *lem- ("to break, soften"). Compare Old High German giluomo, kilōmo, Old English lama ("lame"). See lame.
• From Old Norse ljóma ("to shine").