um

See also 'um, and .um

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English, from Old Norse um, umb (“around, about”), from Proto-Germanic *umbi (“around”), from Proto-Indo-European *ambʰi- (“by, around”). Cognate with Old English ymbe (“around”). More at umbe.

Alternative forms

• umb, umbe

Preposition

um

1. Alternative form of umbe.

Etymology 2

This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

Alternative forms

• umm

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌm (when stressed, or as a verb)

Used in rhotic dialects. Compare erm.

Interjection

um

1. Expression of confusion or space filler in conversation. See uh.

   Um, I don’t know.

   Let’s see, um, how about this.

Verb

um (third-person singular simple present ums, present participle umming, simple past and past participle ummed)

1. (intransitive) To make the um sound to express confusion or hesitancy.

Etymology 3

A Latin-script rendering of µm.

Pronunciation

• Pronounced as micrometer.

Noun

um (plural um)

1. A micrometer.

Anagrams

• mu , Mu, MU

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Faroese

Pronunciation

• IPA: [ʊmː]

Preposition

um + accusative

1. around
2. about
3. during
4. through
5. over

Conjunction

um

1. whether, if

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German

Etymology

From Old High German umbi, from Proto-Germanic *umbi.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʊm/, SAMPA: /Um/

• audio (Germany)

  (file)

• audio (Austria)

  (file)

Preposition

um + accusative

1. about, used with es geht

   Es geht um den Kuchen. (It's about the pie.)

2. around

   Um die Ecke

   around the corner

3. At when relating to time (because the hands of a clock go around, the clock)

   Um acht Uhr reisen wir ab

   At eight o’clock we depart

4. Used as a conjunction of purpose

   um zu

   so as to

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Icelandic

Alternative forms

• umb

Adverb

um

1. used in set phrases

   Það er um að gera að sofa vel.

   The important thing to do it to sleep well.

   Hvað er um að vera?

   What's going on?

   Eins og um var talað.

   As was agreed.

Derived terms

• vera um og ó

Preposition

um (+ accusative)

1. about, concerning

   Um hvað ertu að tala?

   What are you talking about?

   Spurning um líf og dauða.

   A question of life and death.

2. through, around, across

   Áin rennur um dalinn.

   The river runs through the valley.

   Að fara út um gluggann.

   To go out through the window.

   Vestur um haf.

   West across the sea.

3. throughout, over, around

   Við förum um alla sveitina.

   We'll go throughout the district.

   Hann var breiður um herðar.

   He was broad across the shoulders.

   Hún hafði klút um hálsinn.

   She had a scarf around her neck.

4. during, for, in, at

   Hvenær gerðist þetta? - Þetta gerðist um sumarið.

   When did this happen? - It happened during the summer.

   Ég fór um nóttina.

   I went during the night.

5. approximately, about, around

   Pokinn er um fjórir kíló.

   The bag around four kilos.

Usage notes

• Often used with phrases such as "brjóta heilann um".

  Ég er búinn að brjóta heilann um þetta alla nótt!

  I've been racking my brain about this all night!

Derived terms

• um morguninn (in the morning, in the course of the morning)
• klukkan ~ um morguninn (at ~ in the morning)
• um daginn (the other day)
• hér um bil (approximately)
• eins og um var talað
• um nóttina (during the night)
• um tíma/um stundarsakir (for a while)
• um það leyti (at about that time)
• hælast um af
• víða um land (all over the country)
• ganga um gólf (to walk up and down the floor, to pace the floor)
• vera um megn
• um það bil
• um leið (straight away)
• togast á um
• líta um öxl
• deila um keisarans skegg
• um leið og (as soon as, at the same time as)
• láta e-h um það (to leave it to s-b)
• hver um sig (each one of them, each in turn, each one on his/her own)
• um of (too much)
• vefja um fingur sér
• búa um rúmið
• láta sem vind um eyru þjóta/láta eins og vind um eyru þjóta

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Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA: [ʊmˠ]

Preposition

um

1. about
2. at

Inflection

	Singular				Plural
Person	1st	2nd	3rd m.	3rd f.	1st	2nd	3rd
Normal	umam	umat	uime	uimpi	umainn	umaibh	umpu
Emphatic	umamsa	umatsa	uimesean	uimpise	umainne	umaibhse	umpusan

Usage notes

Triggers lenition of c, d, f, g, s, t.

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Latin

Verb

um īrī

1. future passive infinitive of abstō

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Luxembourgish

Contraction

um

1. contraction of op + dem; on the, at the, to the
2. contraction of un + dem

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Portuguese

Portuguese cardinal numbers

<  0	1	2   >
Cardinal : um     Ordinal : primeiro
Portuguese Wikipedia article on um

Pronunciation

• IPA: [ˈũ]
• Hyphenation: um

Etymology

From Latin unus.

Cardinal numeral

um m. (feminine uma)

1. one.

   Uma xícara de café (One cup of coffee)

Article

um m. (feminine uma masculine plural uns feminine plural umas)

1. (indefinite) a, an; some (in plural).
   • 2005, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Rocco, page 186:

     Tenho um recado para você.

     I have a message for you.

   • 2005, Lya Wyler (translator), J. K. Rowling (English author), Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Rocco, page 361:

     [...] disse o professor com um sorrisinho [...]

     [...] the teacher said with a little smile [...]

See also

Portuguese articles (edit)
	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
Definite articles (the)	o	a	os	as
Indefinite articles (a, an; some)	um	uma	uns	umas

Noun

um m. (plural ums)

1. The figure or digit "1": one.

   O um parece o sete sem gravata no pescoço (The one looks like the seven with no tie at its neck)

Pronoun

um

1. A person: one, someone; some people: some (in plural).

   Chegou-me um e disse: "Olá!" (One came to me and said: "Hello!")

2. Element(s) of a previously mentioned class: one; some (in plural).

   Comprei uns e me decepcionei (I bought some and got disappointed)

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Romansch

Etymology

From Latin homō, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰǵʰm̥mō (“earthling”).

Noun

um m. (plural umens)

1. man
2. husband

Coordinate terms

• dunna

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Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ʌm/, /əm/

Pronoun

um

1. (South Scots, personal) him

See also

• hei

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Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *umъ

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ûːm/

Noun

ȗm m. (Cyrillic spelling у̑м)

1. mind
2. intellect
3. wit

Declension

    declension of um

	singular	plural
nominative	ȗm	úmovi
genitive	uma	umova
dative	umu	umovima
accusative	um	umove
vocative	ume	umovi
locative	umu	umovima
instrumental	umom	umovima