Originally the past participle of the verb jumt (“to cover a roof; to thatch”), from Proto-Baltic *jumt, from Proto-Indo-European *yew-, *yū- (“to bind, to tie”), with an extra m. Primitive houses were covered by tied, interwoven sticks on which rested a mud covering. Cognates include Proto-Slavic *jǫtъ (“roof”) (cf. Russian прию́т (prijút, “shelter, retreat”)).