um

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See also: Appendix:Variations of "um"

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 *ambʰi- (“by, around”). Cognate with Old English ymbe (“around”). More at umbe.

Alternative forms[edit]

Preposition[edit]

um

  1. Alternative form of umbe.

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Alternative forms[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

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

Used in rhotic dialects. Compare erm.

Interjection[edit]

um

  1. (chiefly US) Expression of confusion or space filler in conversation. See uh.
    Um, I don’t know.
    Let’s see... um... how about this?

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]

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 *ambʰi- (“by, 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]

Etymology[edit]

From Old High German umbi, from Proto-Germanic *umbi, from Proto-Indo-European *ambʰi- (“by, 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.

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]

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]

Pronunciation[edit]

Preposition[edit]

um (triggers lenition of c, d, f, g, s, t)

  1. about
  2. at

Inflection[edit]

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

Livonian[edit]

Verb[edit]

um

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

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-Indo-European *óynos (“one”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈũ]
  • Hyphenation: um

Numeral[edit]

um m (feminine uma)

  1. one.
    Uma xícara de café (One cup of coffee)

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 [...]

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)

Pronoun[edit]

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)

Romansch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin homō, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰǵʰm̥mō (“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
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