To B or Not to B

To B or Not to B To B or Not to B To B or Not to B By Maeve Maddox English words ending in the spelling -mb occasionally give English learners difficulty. The error arises in trying to pronounce the final b. Some of these words derive from originals that included the b sound and spelling. Some, however, had the unnecessary, (sometimes called the parasitic), -b added after the words were in common use. Here are some -mb words that come from roots that included the b as part of the spelling. bomb [bÃ… m]- noun meaning an explosive device. From Italian bomba, possibly from Latin bombus, a buzzing or booming sound and Greek bombos deep and hollow sound. climb [klÄ «m] verb meaning to ascend. He climbed the stairs. He climbed the cliff face. As a noun it means an ascent. It was an arduous climb. Climb is from the Old English verb climban. comb [kÃ… m] noun (OE camb) meaning a toothed implement. As a verb it means to perform the act of running a comb through hair. It is also used figuratively to mean examine with care. She combed (or combed through) the files, looking for evidence. dumb [dÃ… ­m] (OE thumb; ON dumbr) meaning mute. The modern sense of stupid was influenced by German dumm, stupid. jamb [jÄÆ'm] (Old French jambe, side post of a door) Ultimately from words meaning leg, a jamb is an upright piece of wood or other material that forms the side of a door, window, or other opening. lamb [lÄÆ'm] This word for a baby sheep retains its OE spelling. plumb [(plÃ… ­m)] The noun refers to a heavy object (usually a lead weight) tied to a string, used by builders to establish a vertical line. Plumb comes into English by way of Old French from the Latin word for lead [lÄ•d]:plumbum. (In case you ever wondered about the abbreviation for lead on the Periodic Table, now you know.) As a verb plumb can mean to make a wall straight, or determine the depth of something. It is used figuratively in the sense of examining something closely. Ex. He plumbed the depths of his soul. tomb [tÃ… «m or toom] a noun meaning a place of burial. The verb is to entomb. It came into English from French. At first the b was pronounced, but fell silent at some time in the 14th century. womb [wÃ… «m or woom] the uterus. From OE wamb or womb meaning belly or uterus. The following words had the -b added to them after they had been in use without it. crumb [krÃ… ­m] a small piece of something; from OE cruma. The verb crumble derives from OE gecrymman to break into crumbs. The -b may have got into the act by analogy with the French word humble. limb [lÄ ­m] OE lim could mean the branch of a tree or a body member. The final -b began to appear on the word in the late 1500s. numb [nÃ… ­m] The adjective numb, meaning devoid of feeling, comes from the OE verb niman, to take. In 1440 the word existed as nome, taken, seized. A person who had been taken with shock or cold couldnt feel normally. The unnecessary -b attached itself to the word during the 17th century, giving us numb. thumb [thÃ… ­m] This word for the short fat digit that enables us to pick up things comes from OE thuma. The -b got attached to the word about 1290. morewords.com/ends-with/mb/ Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:45 Synonyms for â€Å"Food†A While vs Awhile20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel