loom

• (UK) IPA^(key): /luːm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /lum/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːm

From Middle English lome, from Old English lōma, ġelōma (“tool, utensil, implement, article of furniture, household effect”) (also as andlōma, andġelōma, andlāma (“utensil, instrument, implement, tool, vessel”), 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- + Proto-Germanic *lōmiz, *lōmijaz (“lame, halt”), from Proto-Indo-European *lem- (“to break, soften”). Compare Old High German giluomo, kilōmo (“often, frequently”), Old English lama (“lame”). See lame.

loom (plural looms)

1. A utensil; tool; a weapon; (usually in compound) an article in general.

   heirloom, workloom

2. 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.
   • Rambler

     Hector, when he sees Andromache overwhelmed with terror, sends her for consolation to the loom and the distaff.

3. The part of an oar which is between the grip or handle and the blade, the shaft.

• hand loom
• power loom
• backstrap loom

loom (plural looms)

1. (dated) loon (bird of order Gaviiformes)

From Old Norse ljóma (“to shine”)[1].

loom (third-person singular simple present looms, present participle looming, simple past and past participle loomed) (intransitive)

1. To appear indistinctly, eg. when seen on the horizon or through the murk.

   The clouds loomed over the mountains.

2. (figuratively) To appear in an exaggerated or threatening form; to be imminent.
   • 2011 August 7, Chris Bevan, “Man City 2 - 3 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport‎:

     With no extra-time to be played and penalties looming, the Portuguese winger pounced on some hesitant City defending to run on to a Wayne Rooney clearance, round Joe Hart and slot home.

3. (figuratively) To rise and to be eminent; to be elevated or ennobled, in a moral sense.
   • J. M. Mason

     On no occasion does he [Paul] loom so high, and shine so gloriously, as in the context.

loom (plural looms)

1. A distorted appearance of something as seen indistinctly or from afar.

• mool

• IPA^(key): /loːm/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -oːm

loom (comparative lomer, superlative loomst)

1. lazy, pleasantly slow

loom

1. lazily

Derived from looma (“to create”)

• IPA^(key): /ˈloːm/
• Hyphenation: loom
• Rhymes: -oːm

loom (genitive looma, partitive looma)

1. animal
2. (informal) mammal

• loomaaed
• metsloom