um

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See also: UM, .um, -um-, 'um, um-, -um, and Appendix:Variations of "um"

Contents

English[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English um, from Old Norse um, umb ‎(“around, about”), from Proto-Germanic *umbi ‎(“around”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi ‎(“round about, around”). Cognate with Old English ymbe ‎(“around”). More at umbe.

Alternative forms[edit]

Preposition[edit]

um

  1. Alternative form of umbe

Etymology 2[edit]

Onomatopoeic.

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Used in rhotic dialects. Compare to British English erm.

Interjection[edit]

um

  1. Expression of confusion or space filler in conversation. See uh.
    Um, I don’t know.
    Let’s see... um... how about this?
    • 2002, Newsweek (volume 140, page lxxx)
      It's a great test of the claims of open-source gurus, who say that a self-motivated community can outcode any team working for a single employer—like, um, Microsoft.
  2. (chiefly US) Dated spelling of mmm.
    • 1963, Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle, Dell Publishing Co., Inc., page 65:
      "About the same, wherever you go," he agreed.
      "Um," I said.

Verb[edit]

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[edit]

A Latin-script rendering of µm.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

um ‎(plural um)

  1. Alternative spelling of µm

Anagrams[edit]

East Makian[edit]

Noun[edit]

um

  1. house

References[edit]

  • C. L. Voorhoeve, The Makian Languages and Their Neighbours (1982)

Elfdalian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse um, from Proto-Germanic *umbi. Cognate with Swedish om.

Conjunction[edit]

um

  1. if

Preposition[edit]

um

  1. around
  2. about (a subject)

Faroese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Old Norse umb, from Proto-Germanic *umbi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi ‎(“round about, around”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

um

  1. (with accusative) around
  2. (with accusative) about
  3. (with accusative) during
  4. (with accusative) through
  5. (with accusative) over

Conjunction[edit]

um

  1. whether, if

German[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

  • umb (obsolete)

Etymology[edit]

From Old High German umbi, from Proto-Germanic *umbi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi ‎(“round about, around”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

um

  1. (with accusative) about, used with es geht
    Es geht um den Kuchen. (It's about the pie.)
  2. (with accusative) around
    Um die Ecke
    around the corner
  3. (with accusative) 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

Conjunction[edit]

um ‎(introduces a zu-clause)

  1. in order to, so as to
    Wir sind gekommen, um zu helfen.‎
    We have come (in order) to help.

Adjective[edit]

um ‎(not comparable)

  1. (predicative, not attributive) up, in the sense of finished
    Werden dich in kurzem binden/ Erdgeist, deine Zeit ist um (Friedrich von Hardenberg, Novalis)
    We will shortly bind you/ Erdgeist, your time is up

Adverb[edit]

um

  1. around, about
  2. turned over, changed, from one state to another

Icelandic[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Adverb[edit]

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[edit]

Preposition[edit]

um

  1. (with accusative) about, concerning
    Um hvað ertu að tala?
    What are you talking about?
    Spurning um líf og dauða.
    A question of life and death.
  2. (with accusative) 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. (with accusative) 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. (with accusative) 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. (with accusative) approximately, about, around
    Pokinn er um fjórir kíló.
    The bag around four kilos.

Usage notes[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Derived terms

Indo-Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Portuguese um ‎(“a”), from Old Portuguese ũu, from Latin ūnus, from Proto-Indo-European *óynos.

Article[edit]

um

  1. a (the indefinite article)
    • 1883, Hugo Schuchardt, Kreolische Studien, volume 3:
      Um homm tinh doiz filh:
      A man had two sons:

Irish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Celtic *ambi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi ‎(“round about, around”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

um ‎(plus dative, triggers lenition, does not mutate b, m, or p)

  1. about
  2. at

Inflection[edit]

Inflection of um
Person Normal Emphatic
1st person sing. umam umamsa
2d person sing. umat umatsa
3d sing. masc. uime uimesean
3d sing. fem. uimpi uimpise
1st person pl. umainn umainne
2d person pl. umaibh umaibhse
3d person pl. umpu umpusan

Khasi[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Probably cognate to U ʔóm.

Noun[edit]

um

  1. water

References[edit]

  • H. Roberts, A Grammar of the Khasi Language

Latin[edit]

Verb[edit]

um

  1. accusative supine of aegreō

Livonian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

u'm

  1. 1st person singular present indicative form of vȱlda
  2. 3rd person singular present indicative form of vȱlda

Luxembourgish[edit]

Contraction[edit]

um

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

Old Norse[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Germanic *umbi ‎(“around, about”). Cognate with Old English ymbe, Old Frisian umbe, ombe, Old Saxon umbi, Old High German umbi.

Preposition[edit]

um

  1. (with accusative) about, concerning
  2. (with accusative) round, past, beyond
  3. (with accusative) over, across, along
  4. (with accusative) during, at a point in time
  5. (with accusative) because of, for

Descendants[edit]

  • Danish: om
  • Elfdalian: um
  • Faroese: um
  • Icelandic: um
  • Norwegian: om
  • Swedish: om

References[edit]

  • um in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Portuguese[edit]

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

Alternative forms[edit]

  • hum (obsolete)

Etymology[edit]

From Old Portuguese ũu ‎(“one; a”), from Latin ūnus ‎(“one”), from Old Latin oinos, from Proto-Italic *oinos, from Proto-Indo-European *óynos ‎(“one”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈũ]
  • Hyphenation: um
  • Rhymes: -ũ

Numeral[edit]

um m ‎(feminine uma)

  1. one
    Uma xícara de café‎ ― One cup of coffee

Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:um.

Article[edit]

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 […]

Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:um.

See also[edit]

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[edit]

um m (plural uns)

  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.

Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:um.

Pronoun[edit]

um

  1. a person; one; someone
    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.

Quotations[edit]

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:um.

Romansch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin homō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ ‎(“earthling”)

Noun[edit]

um m ‎(plural umens)

  1. man
  2. husband

Coordinate terms[edit]

Scots[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Pronoun[edit]

um

  1. (South Scots, personal) him

See also[edit]

Serbo-Croatian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Slavic *umъ

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ȗm m ‎(Cyrillic spelling у̑м)

  1. mind
  2. intellect
  3. wit

Declension[edit]

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

Slovak[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Slavic *umъ.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

um m ‎(genitive singular umu, nominative plural umy, declension pattern of dub)

  1. mind
  2. intellect
  3. wit

Declension[edit]

Declension of um
singular plural
nominative um umy
genitive umu umov
dative umu umom
accusative um umy
locative ume umoch
instrumental umom umami

Synonyms[edit]

References[edit]

  • um in Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk
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