som

See also: Appendix:Variations of "som"

Languages (23)

Translingual • English

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Akan • Catalan • Czech • Danish • Dutch • Galician • Hungarian • Indonesian • Lower Sorbian • Middle Dutch • Middle English • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old English • Portuguese • Romanian • Serbo-Croatian • Slovak • Swedish • Ternate • Turkish

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Somali or abbreviation of Afar and Somali Soomaali.

Symbol

som

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Somali.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Somali terms

English

100 som note (Kyrgyzstan)

Etymology 1

From Kyrgyz сом (som) and Uzbek сўм (soʻm) (Cyrillic) / soʻm (Roman), both of which come from the Turkic root *som ("pure [gold]").

Alternative forms

• sum, soum

Noun

som (plural soms)

1. The currency of Kyrgyzstan. Symbol: ⃀.
2. The currency of Uzbekistan.

Translations

national currency of Uzbekistan — see also sum

• Arabic: سوم
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 索姆 (suǒmǔ)

• Estonian: somm
• French: som (fr)
• Georgian: სომი (somi)
• Greek: σομ (som)
• Hungarian: szom (hu)
• Kazakh: сом (som)
• Kyrgyz: сом (ky) (som)
• Lithuanian: somas m
• Portuguese: som (pt)
• Russian: сом (ru) m (som)
• Tajik: сӯм (tg) (süm)
• Ukrainian: сом m (som)
• Uzbek: soʻm (uz)

  Cyrillic: сўм (soʻm)

national currency of Kyrgyzstan — see also sum

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 索姆 (suǒmǔ)

• Estonian: somm
• Kazakh: сом (som)
• Kyrgyz: сом (ky) (som)
• Portuguese: som (pt) m
• Russian: сом (ru) m (som)
• Tajik: сӯм (tg) (süm)
• Uzbek: soʻm (uz)

  Cyrillic: сўм (soʻm)

Etymology 2

Pronoun

som

1. Obsolete spelling of some.
   • (Can we date this quote?), Kimberly Kubus (K.Okkerstrøm), Airport Manager:

     U cared to try som of my snax

Determiner

som

1. Obsolete spelling of some.

Derived terms

• somever

Etymology 3

Noun

som (plural soms)

1. Alternative form of somm (“sommelier”).
   • 2013, Jay McInerney, The Juice: Vinous Veritas, page 19:

     The som who first introduced me to it leaned in close and whispered the news, as if he were offering me something illegal.

See also

• som tam / som tum

Anagrams

• MOS, MOs, OMS, OMs, SMO, mos, mos', oms, osm

Akan

Verb

som (Twi)

1. to worship

Derived terms

• asomfoɔ (“worshipper”)
• ɔsom (“(act of) worship”)

References

• LearnAkan (2018–present), “worship”, in LearnAkanDictionary.com (overall work in English)
• Anane, J. Opoku (2000), “som”, in Advance Akan Dictionary: Akuapim, Asante and Fante with Names and Meanings (overall work in English), Anwomaso – Kusami, Ghana: Prisebs Business Services, →ISBN, page 493

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern) [ˈsum]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈsom]

• Audio (Valencia):

  (file)

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin summus.

Adjective

som (feminine soma, masculine plural soms, feminine plural somes)

1. shallow

Etymology 2

Verb

som

1. first-person plural present indicative of ser
2. first-person plural present indicative of ésser

Usage notes

In older versions of Catalan, this was the first person singular form, rather than the first person plural form, in the present indicative; thus, the first person plural in the present indicative had to keep the final S in Latin's -mus endings for the first person plural for distinguishment, although the other first person plural forms dropped it (future indicative serem, conditional seríem, but present indicative soms).

Czech

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *somъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsom]

Noun

som m anim

1. archaic form of sumec

Declension

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse som, sem (“as, like”), cognate with Norwegian som, Swedish som. Probably a weakened form of Proto-Germanic *samą, *samô (“same, in the same way”), compare Old High German sama, samo, sam (“so, likewise”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔm/, [sʌm]

Conjunction

som

1. as, like (introduces comparisons, both noun phrases and dependent clauses)

   Synonym: ligesom

   fuld som en allike

   drunk as a jackdaw

2. as (introduces a noun phrase that is an adjunct, or non-obligatory argument)
   • 1991, Benny Andersen, Chagall & skorpiondans‎^[1]:

     Han var som kunstner højst original, men solgte aldrig et billede.

     He was most original as an artist, but he never sold a single painting.

   Synonyms: i egenskab af, qua, værende

3. such as (introduces an example)

   Synonyms: for eksempel, såsom

   pattedyr som hunde og katte

   mammals such as dogs and cats

4. as (introduces a temporal adverbial clause)
   • 1987, Thøger Birkeland, Jomfrubanden‎^[2]:

     ...han tager pigens hånd, netop som hun vender sig for at gå tilbage til bordet.

     ...he takes the hand of the girl just as she turns around in order to go back to the table.

   Synonyms: da, idet

5. as, because (introduces a causal adverbial clause)
   • 1849, Søren Kierkegaard, Enten-Eller‎^[3], p. vol. 2, p. 228 /:

     Min Kone holder da af Dig, og jeg sympathiserer med hendes Følelse i denne henseende, saa meget mere som jeg troer, at grunden til hendes Velvillie for Dig for en Deel ligger deri, at hun seer Dine Svagheder.

     My wife likes you, and I sympathize with her feeling in this respect, the more so as I think that the reason for her good will towards you is partly based on the fact that she sees your weaknesses.

   Synonyms: da, eftersom

6. how (introduces an exclamative independent clause)
   • 1987, Jørgen Sonne, Nul:

     Som vi da grinede!

     How we laughed!

   Synonym: hvor

Pronoun

som

1. (relative) who, which, that (introduces relative clauses)

   Synonyms: der, hvilken

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch somme, borrowed from Old French somme, from Latin summa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔm/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: som
• Rhymes: -ɔm

Noun

som f (plural sommen, diminutive sommetje n)

1. sum
2. (mathematics) problem

   Ik moet dertig sommen maken voor de wiskundeles van morgen. ― I have to solve thirty problems for tomorrow's maths class.

Derived terms

• borgsom
• optelsom

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: sòm, som

References

• van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “som¹”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute

Anagrams

• mos

Galician

Etymology 1

Noun

som m (plural sons, reintegrationist norm)

1. reintegrationist spelling of son (“sound”)

Etymology 2

Verb

som

1. (reintegrationist norm) third-person plural present indicative of ser

Hungarian

Etymology

From a Turkic language, compare Turkmen çüm (“cornel”), Kumyk чум (çum, “berry”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈʃom]
• Hyphenation: som
• Rhymes: -om

Noun

som (plural somok)

1. cornel

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)

	singular	plural
nominative	som	somok
accusative	somot	somokat
dative	somnak	somoknak
instrumental	sommal	somokkal
causal-final	somért	somokért
translative	sommá	somokká
terminative	somig	somokig
essive-formal	somként	somokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	somban	somokban
superessive	somon	somokon
adessive	somnál	somoknál
illative	somba	somokba
sublative	somra	somokra
allative	somhoz	somokhoz
elative	somból	somokból
delative	somról	somokról
ablative	somtól	somoktól
non-attributive possessive – singular	somé	somoké
non-attributive possessive – plural	soméi	somokéi

Possessive forms of som

possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	somom	somjaim
2nd person sing.	somod	somjaid
3rd person sing.	somja	somjai
1st person plural	somunk	somjaink
2nd person plural	somotok	somjaitok
3rd person plural	somjuk	somjaik

Further reading

• som in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

Anagrams

• mos

Indonesian

Etymology

From Dutch zoom (“hem; edge, border”), from Middle Dutch sôom, from Old Dutch *sōm, from Proto-West Germanic *saum, from Proto-Germanic *saumaz (“that which is sewn”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈsɔm]
• Hyphenation: som
• Rhymes: -sɔm, -ɔm, -m

Noun

som (plural som-som)

1. (sewing, colloquial) seam (folded back and stitched piece of fabric)

   Synonyms: kelim, pelipit

Derived terms

• mengesom

Further reading

• “som”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔm/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *sòmъ; cognate with Russian сом (som), Old Polish som, Old Czech som, Polabian såm.

Noun

som m anim

1. catfish (fish of the order Siluriformes)

Declension

Declension of som

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	som	soma	somy
genitive	soma	somowu	somow
dative	somoju	somoma	somam
accusative	som	soma	somy
instrumental	somom	somoma	somami
locative	somje	somoma	somach

Further reading

• Muka, Arnošt (1921, 1928), “som”, in Słownik dolnoserbskeje rěcy a jeje narěcow (in German), St. Petersburg, Prague: ОРЯС РАН, ČAVU; Reprinted Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag, 2008
• Starosta, Manfred (1999), “som”, in Dolnoserbsko-nimski słownik / Niedersorbisch-deutsches Wörterbuch (in German), Bautzen: Domowina-Verlag

Etymology 2

From Proto-Slavic *esmь.

Verb

som

1. first-person singular present of byś

Middle Dutch

Etymology

From Old Dutch sum, from Proto-West Germanic *sum, from Proto-Germanic *sumaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /som/

Determiner

som

1. some

Inflection

	singular			plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	som	somme	som	somme
accusative	sommen	somme	som	somme
genitive	soms	sommer	soms	sommer
dative	sommen	sommer	sommen	sommen

Descendants

• Dutch: som, saom (dialectal)
• Limburgish: zóm

Further reading

• “som”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929), “som (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, →ISBN, page I

Middle English

Alternative forms

• somme, summe
• zome (Kent)

Etymology

From Old English sum, from Proto-West Germanic *sum, from Proto-Germanic *sumaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sum/

Pronoun

som

1. some

Adjective

som

1. some

Descendants

• English: some
• Scots: sum, some
• Yola: zim, zum

References

• “sǒm, pron.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “sǒm, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔm/

Conjunction

som

1. as; similar to, in the same way that

Derived terms

• ettersom

Pronoun

som

1. (reflexive pronoun) who, which

Preposition

som

1. as; to the same extent or degree that

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Old Norse sem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔmː/

Conjunction

som

1. as

   Han jobbar som kelner.

   He is working as a waiter.

Derived terms

• ettersom

Pronoun

som

1. (reflexive pronoun) who, which, that

   Dette er bilen som eg kjøpte.

   This is the car that I bought.

   Det var den mannen som kom.

   That was the man who came.

Etymology 2

From Old Norse sumr. Akin to English some.

Alternative forms

• sum (now nonstandard)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʊmː/

Pronoun

som m (feminine som, neuter somt, plural somme)

1. some

   Somt av det er nytt, resten er gamalt.

   Some of it is new, the rest is old.

   Han sa som tid at det gjekk likare med ho

   Sometimes he said that it was going better with her

References

• “som” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *sōmu, from Proto-Germanic *sōmō, related to *sōmiz (“seemly”). Related to Old Norse sǿmr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /soːm/
• Rhymes: -oːm

Noun

sōm f

1. agreement, concord
   • 11th century, Institutes of Polity:

     Hē sċeal bēon symle ymbe sōme and ymbe sibbe.

     He shall always be engaged in promoting concord and peace.

2. reconciliation, a setting aside of differences
   • 11th century, Institutes of Polity:

     Bisċeopum ġebȳraþ, ġyf ǣniġ ōðrum ābelġe, ðæt man geþyldiġe ōð gefērena sōme.

     It is appropriate for bishops, if any should anger others, that one be patient until the companions' reconciliation.

3. a meeting for agreement, arrangement of dispute
   • early 10th century, Letter to King Edward explaining the history of land at Fonthill‎^[4]:

     Ðā ðūhte ūs eallan ðe æt ðǣre sōme wǣran,..

     Then it seemed to all of us that were at the agreement,..

Usage notes

Often found in collocation with sibb (“peace”).

Declension

Strong ō-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	sōm	sōma, sōme
accusative	sōme	sōma, sōme
genitive	sōme	sōma
dative	sōme	sōmum

Related terms

• sēman
• ġesēman

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “sóm”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese son (probably influenced by or possibly borrowed from Old Occitan son), from Latin sonus. Alternatively, regressively derived from the verb soar. Compare Galician and Spanish son.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈsõ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈsõ/, (dialectal) /ˈsɐ̃w̃/

• Audio (Portugal (Porto)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -õ
• Homophone: são (Portugal, dialectal)
• Hyphenation: som

Noun

som m (plural sons)

1. sound (sensation perceived by the ear)
   • 1890, Aluizio Azevedo, O Cortiço, Rio de Janeiro: B. L. Garnier:

     No confuso rumor que se formava, destacavam-se risos, sons de vozes que altercavam, sem se saber de onde, grasnar de marrecos, cantar de galos, cacarejar de galinhas.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (informal) music (melodic and rhythmic sounds made as art)

   Synonym: música

3. (informal) an audio device, such as a stereo

   Synonym: equipamento de som

Derived terms

• barreira do som
• sonzão (augmentative)
• sonzeira
• sonzinho (diminutive)

Related terms

• soante
• soar
• sonante
• sónico
• sonoridade
• sonoro

See also

• barulho
• ruído

Further reading

• “som”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “som”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Noun

som m (plural somi)

1. obsolete form of sumă

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	som	somul	somi	somii
genitive-dative	som	somului	somi	somilor
vocative	somule		somilor

References

• som in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sôm/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Slavic *somъ.

Noun

sȍm m anim (Cyrillic spelling со̏м)

1. catfish

Declension

Declension of som

	singular	plural
nominative	sȍm	sòmovi
genitive	sòma	sòmōvā
dative	sòmu	sòmovima
accusative	sòma	sòmove
vocative	sȍme	sòmovi
locative	sòmu	sòmovima
instrumental	sòmom	sòmovima

Further reading

• “som”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Etymology 2

The origins of this term are unclear. Possibly because som (catfish) is a big fish. Others believe it is due to the 1000 dinar banknotes of 1955, on which the person depicted appears to have two fish eyes (instead of welding goggles) on his head.

Noun

sȍm m inan (Cyrillic spelling со̏м)

1. (colloquial) grand (a thousand of something, especially but not only money)

   dva soma ― two grand

Declension

Declension of som

	singular	plural
nominative	sȍm	sòmovi
genitive	sòma	sòmōvā
dative	sòmu	sòmovima
accusative	sòma	sòmove
vocative	sȍme	sòmovi
locative	sòmu	sòmovima
instrumental	sòmom	sòmovima

Slovak

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *esmь.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔm/, [sɔm]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔm

Verb

som

1. first-person singular present of byť

Swedish

Alternative forms

• (Obsolete typography) ſom

Etymology

From Old Swedish som or sum, in Runic inscriptions also sim, same as Icelandic sem, from Old Norse sem.

Also related to the prefix sam- (“co-, common, together”) and suffix -sam (“-some, -like”). Still in the Poetic Edda, the Icelandic sem is only used as a comparative particle, e.g. Hávamál 23 allt er víl sem var (And his woe is just as it was). With time it has displaced other relative conjunctions (es, er). Its use as a pronoun is of a later date.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɔm/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

som (not comparable)

2. (followed by a superlative adjective) at its/his/hers

   när vintern är som kallast

   when winter is at its coldest

   (literally, “when the winter is as coldest”)

   när solen står som högst

   when the sun is at its highest

   (literally, “when the sun stands as highest”)

   Hon är oslagbar när hon är som bäst

   She is unbeatable when she is at her best

   (literally, “She is unbeatable when she is as best”)

   • 1999, Johan Halleröd, Fredde Granberg, Tomas Claesson, Marko Lehtosalo, “Sola och bada i Piña Colada [Sunbathing and Swimming in Piña Colada]”‎^[5]performed by Markoolio [portmanteau of his first name Marko and the stage name of American rapper Coolio]; Jemma Myrberg:

     Sola och bada i Piña Colada. På sommaren är livet som bäst. Alla blir glada av Piña Colada. Man röjer och hånglar på fest.

     Sunbathing and swimming in Piña Colada [[To] sunbathe and swim in Piña Colada]. In the summer, life is at its best. Piña Colada makes everyone happy [Everyone becomes happy from Piña Colada]. You go wild and make out at parties ["at party" – while at a party].

3. the

   där backen är som brantast

   where the hill is the [at its] steepest

   (literally, “where the hill is as steepest”)

Conjunction

som

1. as, like

   flitig som ett bi

   busy [diligent] as a bee

   Hon lät som en häst

   She sounded like a horse

2. as (in the role of)

   Som president är det jag som bestämmer

   As president, I am the one in charge

3. as (the way)

   Som du önskar!

   As you wish!

Derived terms

• fattig som en kyrkråtta
• flitig som en myra
• lugn som en filbunke
• som helst
• stark som en björn

(and many other similes)

• som man bäddar får man ligga

Pronoun

som

1. (relative) who, which, that

   Det var hon som gjorde det.

   She is the one who did it.

   Det där är stenen som kraschade rutan.

   That’s the stone that broke the window.

2. as; to the same extent or degree that

   Du är inte lika lång som jag är.

   You are not as tall as I am.

   Du är inte lika lång som jag.

   You are not as tall as me.

Derived terms

• den som gapar efter mycket mister ofta hela stycket
• den som lever får se
• den som nämnde det, han klämde det
• den som sig i leken ger, får leken tåla
• den som väntar på något gott, väntar aldrig för länge
• det löser sig, sa han som sket i vasken
• skrattar bäst som skrattar sist

(and many others)

See also

• eftersom

References

• “som”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “som”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “som”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• som in Elof Hellquist, Svensk etymologisk ordbok (1st ed., 1922)

Anagrams

• Mos., mos

Ternate

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [som]

Verb

som

1. (stative) to be murky, turbid

Conjugation

Conjugation of som

		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		tosom	fosom	misom
2nd person		nosom	nisom
3rd person	masculine	osom	isom yosom (archaic)
	feminine	mosom
	neuter	isom

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001), A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Turkish

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Common Turkic *som (“pure, solid”).

Adjective

som

1. solid

   Synonym: katı

2. pure

   Synonyms: salt, arı, katkısız, katışıksız

3. fine

Declension

Predicative forms of som

present tense
	positive declarative	positive interrogative
ben (I am)	somum	som muyum?
sen (you are)	somsun	som musun?
o (he/she/it is)	som / somdur	som mu?
biz (we are)	somuz	som muyuz?
siz (you are)	somsunuz	som musunuz?
onlar (they are)	som(lar)	som(lar) mı?
past tense
	positive declarative	positive interrogative
ben (I was)	somdum	som muydum?
sen (you were)	somdun	som muydun?
o (he/she/it was)	somdu	som muydu?
biz (we were)	somduk	som muyduk?
siz (you were)	somdunuz	som muydunuz?
onlar (they were)	somdular	som muydular?
indirect past
	positive declarative	positive interrogative
ben (I was)	sommuşum	som muymuşum?
sen (you were)	sommuşsun	som muymuşsun?
o (he/she/it was)	sommuş	som muymuş?
biz (we were)	sommuşuz	som muymuşuz?
siz (you were)	sommuşsunuz	som muymuşsunuz?
onlar (they were)	sommuşlar	som muymuşlar?
conditional
	positive declarative	positive interrogative
ben (if I)	somsam	som muysam?
sen (if you)	somsan	som muysan?
o (if he/she/it)	somsa	som muysa?
biz (if we)	somsak	som muysak?
siz (if you)	somsanız	som muysanız?
onlar (if they)	somsalar	som muysalar?

For negative forms, use the appropriate form of değil.

Derived terms

• somut

Alternative forms

• somon

Etymology

Derived from French saumon.

Noun

som (definite accusative somu, plural somlar)

1. salmon

Declension

Declension of som

	singular	plural
nominative	som	somlar
definite accusative	somu	somları
dative	soma	somlara
locative	somda	somlarda
ablative	somdan	somlardan
genitive	somun	somların