umkommen

German

Etymology

From Middle High German umbekomen (“to pass by, end, die”). Analysable as um- +‎ kommen. Cognate with Middle Dutch ommecomen (“to pass by, end, die”), whence modern Dutch omkomen. Compare also ums Leben kommen, and further umbringen, ums Leben bringen. Regarding the broader semantic use in both Middle High German and Middle Dutch, it is not certain that the short verbs are mere ellipses of the phrases with Leben, though they have without doubt been influenced by them.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʊmˌkɔmən/, [ˈʔʊmˌkɔmən], [ˈʔʊmˌkɔmm̩]

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

1. to be killed; to perish; to die a (usually) violent death

Further reading

• “umkommen” in Duden online