Crumbs
/krʌmz/noun
Small pieces broken off from a larger solid food, especially bread.
Did you know?English crumb comes from a Germanic root meaning “to break or crush,” so the word itself carries the memory of violence hidden inside something as ordinary as bread.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*grem-
“to grind, crush”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*krumbaz
“bent, crooked, broken”
Old English
English
crumb
“a fragment or small piece, especially of bread”
Middle English
English
crumbe
“a small fragment of bread or food”
Modern English
English
crumb
“a small piece broken off from a larger solid body”