Etymology
ME
ʒarm (n.) and
ʒarmen (v.) are probably best explained as loans given the late date of the sole occurrence of OE
gyrman (v.) 'to howl, wail' (
DOE). The probable source is ON, cp. OIcel
jarmr 'bleating' and
jarma 'to bleat' (so
MED, Menner, Anderson). This provides a good fit for both form and sense, and the earliest attestations of both the ME v. and n. come from N alliterative texts. The form suggests a PGmc root
*erma-, which is not otherwise attested, in which case the ON fracture of /e/ followed by shift of stress in the resulting diphthong would provide a phonological test of loan. Given the uncertainty of the word's etymology, however, it is not possible to say conclusively whether this criterion applies. CV instead suggests it is 'probably identical with' a set of WGmc adjectives < PGmc
*jēm(a)raz (from which descends MnE
yammer), and while it is tempting to see such a connection given the sense, the medial <r> is problematic. Welsh also had a n.
garm 'shout', as
MED and Skeat WA also note, but in order to give /j/ in English, this loan would have had to occur very early (before first fronting and palatalization). David Callander points out, moreover, that the v.
MED notes is cited only from the late 16c. poet William Cynwal, where the form
garmio may be a poetic coinage to provide rhyme.
PGmc Ancestor
*erma-
Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)
jarma 'to bleat'
(ONP jarma (vb.))
Other Scandinavian Reflexes
Far jarma, Icel jarma, Norw jarma, jerma, ODan jarme, Sw dial jarma, järma
OE Cognate
Phonological and morphological markers
[ON fracture of */e/ and shift of stress in diphthong */ea/ > /ja/]
(may not be applicable)
Summary category
C2c