An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Atem
Atem, masculine, from the equivalent Middle High German âtem (âten), Old High German âtum, masculine, ‘breath, spirit’; compare Middle High German der heilege âtem, Old High German der wîho âtum, ‘the Holy Spirit;’ Modern High German collateral form (properly dialectic) Odem. The word is not found in East Teutonic; in Gothic ahma, ‘spirit,’ is used instead (see achten). Compare Old Saxon âðom, Dutch adem, Anglo-Saxon œ̂þm (obsolete in English), ‘breath.’ The cognates point to Aryan êtmon-, Sanscrit âtmán, masculine, ‘puff, breath, spirit’; also Old Irish athach, ‘breath,’ Greek ἀτμός, ‘smoke, vapour.’ Whether Modern High German Ader and Greek ἥτορ, ‘heart,’ are derived from the root êt, ‘to exhale, breathe,’ contained in these cognates, is questionable.