siedem (Polish)
Where does "siedem" come from?
The Polish word 'siedem' boasts an ancient lineage that traces back to the Proto-Indo-European *septḿ̥. It evolved through Proto-Balto-Slavic and Proto-Slavic roots before entering Old Polish as 'siedm'. Over time, this classic term for the number seven has remained remarkably consistent across the Slavic linguistic landscape.
Full etymology tree
- siedem (Polish), 'seven'
- inherited siedm (Old Polish), 'seven'
- inherited *sedmь (Proto-Slavic), 'seven'
- inherited *sedmъ (Proto-Slavic), 'seventh'
- inherited *sebdmъ (Proto-Slavic)
- inherited *septmas (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- inherited *septm̥mós (Proto-Indo-European), 'seventh'
- compound *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
- borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
- inherited *sṗɣ? (Proto-Afroasiatic)
- borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
- compound *-ós (Proto-Indo-European), 'Forms possessive adjectives from nouns.'
- compound *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
- inherited *septm̥mós (Proto-Indo-European), 'seventh'
- inherited *septmas (Proto-Balto-Slavic)
- inherited *sebdmъ (Proto-Slavic)
- inherited *sedmъ (Proto-Slavic), 'seventh'
- inherited *sedmь (Proto-Slavic), 'seven'
- inherited siedm (Old Polish), 'seven'
Descendants and derived words
- od siedmiu boleści (Polish)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris