An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/dämmern

by Friedrich Kluge

dämmern, vb., ‘to grow dusk, dawn,’ from MidHG. dëmere, f. (also even MidHG. dëmerunge, f.), OHG. dëmar, n., ‘crepusculum,’ a deriv. of a Teut. root þem, Aryan tem, ‘to be dusk’ (see also dämisch). OSax. preserves in the Heliand the cognate adj. thimm, ‘gloomy’; allied to MidDu. and MidLG. deemster, ‘dark.’ A part from Teut. the assumed root tem, meaning ‘to grow dusk,’ is widely diffused; Sans. tamas, ‘darkness’ (exactly corresponding to OHG. dëmar), tamrá-s, ‘obscuring, stifling’; támisrâ, f., ‘dark night’; Ir. temel, ‘darkness,’ temen, ‘dark grey.’ With the latter words Lat. tenebrœ, ‘darkness,’ is connected (br in Lat. from sr; n for m on account of the following labial, a process of differentiation); OSlov. tĭma, ‘darkness,’ Lith. tamsùs, ‘dark,’ tamsà, f., ‘dusk,’ témti, ‘to grow dusk.’ In the earlier Germ. periods we have further MidHG. dinster, OHG. dinstar, which are so related to Sans. támisrâ, ‘night,’ and Lat. tenebrœ, as to imply a Goth. þinstra- as an adj. stem; in that case t has intruded between s and r, as in Schwester. With regard to MidHG. dinster comp. also ModHG. düster and finster.