um
Translingual edit
Symbol edit
um
- micrometer; variant of μm used when the character μ is unavailable
English edit
Etymology 1 edit
Alternative forms edit
Pronunciation edit
Used in rhotic dialects. Compare to British English erm.
Interjection edit
um
- Expression of hesitation, uncertainty or space filler in conversation.
- 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.
- (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.
- (US) An expression to forcefully call attention to something wrong.
- Um, excuse me!
- (UK, childish) An expression of shocked disapproval used by a child who witnesses forbidden behavior.
- 2011, Kimberly Willis Holt, Piper Reed, Clubhouse Queen:
- While I was in her room, Sam walked by and said, “Um, I'm telling!”
“You're telling what?” I asked.
“You're reading Tori's journal,” she said.
- 2021, Sarah Strangeways, The Gingerbread House, page 13:
- Mair used to look after Laura. If anyone threatened to tease her, Mair would stand up straight, point her finger at the enemy and shout, 'Um! I'm telling on you!'
Verb edit
um (third-person singular simple present ums, present participle umming, simple past and past participle ummed)
- (intransitive) To make the um sound to express uncertainty or hesitancy.
- 2007, Michael Erard, Um... Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean, page 136:
- Meanwhile, in the popular mind umming was simply a bad habit, akin to spitting or picking one’s nose.
Etymology 2 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”), West Frisian om (“around”), Dutch om (“around”), German um (“around”). More at umbe.
Preposition edit
um
- Alternative form of umbe
Alternative forms edit
Etymology 3 edit
Particle edit
um
- (dated, sometimes humorous, often offensive) An undifferentiated determiner or article; a miscellaneous linking word, or filler with nonspecific meaning; representation of broken English stereotypically or comically attributed to Native Americans.
- He um Growling Bear. He um heap big chief.
- 1871, “Grand camp meeting on Bear River”, in The Keepapitchinin[1], volume III, page 3:
- “me heap brave—me talk to um white man so […] me good injun, like um white man, mebbe so, ugh!”
See also edit
Anagrams edit
Czech edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *umъ
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
um m inan
Declension edit
See also edit
Further reading edit
East Makian edit
Noun edit
um
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
Preposition edit
um
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
- around [+accusative]
- about [+accusative]
- during [+accusative]
- through [+accusative]
- over [+accusative]
Conjunction edit
um
Galician edit
| 10 | ||||
| [a], [b] ← 0 | 1 | 2 → [a], [b], [c] | 10 → | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal (reintegrationist / masculine): um Cardinal (standard / masculine): un Cardinal (standard / feminine): unha Cardinal (reintegrationist / feminine): umha, uma Ordinal: primeiro Ordinal abbreviation: 1º | ||||
| Galician Wikipedia article on 1 | ||||
Numeral edit
um m (feminine umha or uma, reintegrationist norm)
Usage notes edit
The numeral um and its feminine forms umha and uma can form contractions with the prepositions com (“with”), de (“of, from”), and em (“in”).
Derived terms edit
German edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Middle High German umbe, ümbe, from Old High German umbi, from Proto-West Germanic *umbi.
Central German dialects show regular umlaut; the standard form is from Upper German, where umlaut of -u- was blocked before labial geminates and clusters. Cognate with Luxembourgish ëm, Dutch om, English umbe.
Pronunciation edit
Preposition edit
um (with accusative)
- about
- Es geht um den Kuchen. ― It's about the pie.
- around
- Um die Ecke ― around the corner
- at, by (when relating to time)
- Um acht Uhr reisen wir ab ― At eight o’clock we depart
- by (percentage difference)
- Die Verkaufsmengen gingen um 6% zurück. ― Sales in volume has decreased by 6%.
- (Austria) for (amount of money)
- Um einen Euro bekommt man heute nicht besonders viel. ― You can't buy much for one euro these days.
- Heute im Sonderangebot um nur 99 Euro. ― Special offer today for only 99 euros.
Derived terms edit
- (um + das) ums
Conjunction edit
um (introduces a zu-clause)
- in order to, so as to
- Wir sind gekommen, um zu helfen.
- We’ve come (in order) to help.
Adjective edit
um (indeclinable, predicative only)
- (predicative, not attributive) up, in the sense of finished
- Werden dich in kurzem binden/ Erdgeist, deine Zeit ist um
- We will shortly bind you/ Erdgeist, your time is up
- (Friedrich von Hardenberg, Novalis)
Adverb edit
um
Derived terms edit
Hunsrik edit
Pronunciation edit
Preposition edit
um (+ accusative)
- around
- Ich hon mich en Duch um de Kopp gebunn.
- I've tied a towel around my head.
- at, by (when relating to time)
- Um acht Uher.
- At eight o'clock.
Derived terms edit
- (um + das) ums
Adverb edit
um
Further reading edit
Icelandic edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Old Norse um, from Proto-Germanic *umbi (“around, about”).
Adverb edit
um
- used in set phrases
- Það er um að gera að sofa vel.
- The important thing to do is 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 [+accusative]
- about, concerning
- Um hvað ertu að tala?
- What are you talking about?
- Spurning um líf og dauða.
- A question of life and death.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- approximately, about, around
- Pokinn er um fjögur kíló.
- The bag is 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
- búa um rúmið
- deila um keisarans skegg
- eins og um var talað
- ganga um gólf (“to walk up and down the floor, to pace the floor”)
- hér um bil (“approximately”)
- hver um sig (“each one of them, each in turn, each one on his/her own”)
- hælast um af
- klukkan ~ um morguninn (“at ~ in the morning”)
- láta e-h um það (“to leave it to s-b”)
- láta sem vind um eyru þjóta/láta eins og vind um eyru þjóta
- líta um öxl
- togast á um
- um daginn (“the other day”)
- um leið og (“as soon as, at the same time as”)
- um leið (“straight away”)
- um morguninn (“in the morning, in the course of the morning”)
- um nóttina (“during the night”)
- um of (“too much”)
- um tíma/um stundarsakir (“for a while”)
- um það bil
- um það leyti (“at about that time”)
- vefja um fingur sér
- vera um megn
- víða um land (“all over the country”)
Indo-Portuguese edit
Etymology edit
From Portuguese um (“a”), from Old Galician-Portuguese ũu, from Latin ūnus, from Proto-Indo-European *óynos.
Article edit
um
- a (the indefinite article)
- 1883, Hugo Schuchardt, Kreolische Studien, volume 3:
- Um homm tinh doiz filh:
- A man had two sons:
Irish edit
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
From Old Irish imb, from Proto-Celtic *ambi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“round about, around”).
Pronunciation edit
Preposition edit
um (plus dative, triggers lenition, except of b, m, and p)
Inflection edit
Further reading edit
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “um”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Khasi edit
Etymology edit
Noun edit
um
References edit
- H. Roberts, A Grammar of the Khasi Language
Livonian edit
Pronunciation edit
Verb edit
u'm
Lote edit
Noun edit
um
References edit
- Greg Pearson, René van den Berg, Lote Grammar Sketch (2008)
Luxembourgish edit
Contraction edit
um
Mòcheno edit
Etymology edit
From Middle High German umbe, ümbe, from Old High German umbi, from Proto-West Germanic *umbi, from Proto-Germanic *umbi (“around, about”). Cognate with German um, English umbe.
Preposition edit
um (+ accusative)
References edit
- “um” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.
Norwegian Nynorsk edit
Etymology edit
Pronunciation edit
Preposition edit
um
References edit
- “um” in Ivar Aasen (1873) Norsk Ordbog med dansk Forklaring
Old Norse edit
Alternative forms edit
- umb (older form)
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
- about, concerning [+accusative]
- round, past, beyond [+accusative]
- over, across, along [+accusative]
- during, at a point in time [+accusative]
- because of, for [+accusative]
Particle edit
um
- (w:Poetic Edda) indicates that the verbal action is completed, compare English “through” as in “read through”. For semantic development, compare adjectival usage of German um.
Descendants edit
References edit
Pennsylvania German edit
Etymology edit
Compare German um, Dutch om, Old English ymb.
Preposition edit
um
Pnar edit
Etymology edit
From Proto-Khasian *ʔum (“tree”). Cognate with Khasi um.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
um
Polish edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ũmъ.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
um m inan
Declension edit
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Further reading edit
- um in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Portuguese edit
| 10 | ||||
| ← 0 | 1 | 2 → | 10 → | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal: um Ordinal: primeiro Ordinal abbreviation: 1.º Multiplier: único, singular | ||||
| Portuguese Wikipedia article on 1 | ||||
Alternative forms edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese ũu (“one; a”), from Latin ūnum (“one”), from Old Latin oinos, from Proto-Italic *oinos, from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of uno.
Pronunciation edit
Numeral edit
um m (feminine uma)
- one
- Uma xícara de café ― One cup of coffee
Quotations edit
For quotations using this term, see Citations:um.
Related terms edit
Descendants edit
Article edit
um (feminine uma, masculine plural uns, feminine plural umas)
- (indefinite) a, an
- Um carro, uma casa. ― A car, a house.
- 2005, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince] (Harry Potter; 6), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 186:
- Tenho um recado para você.
- I have a message for you.
- 2005, J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter e o Enigma do Príncipe [Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince] (Harry Potter; 6), Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, →ISBN, page 361:
- […] disse o professor com um sorrisinho […]
- […] the teacher said with a little smile […]
- (in the plural) some; a few (a small number of)
- Uns carros, umas casas. ― A few cars, a few houses.
- Synonym: alguns
- (with uncountable nouns) a bit of
- Synonym: um pouco de
- (usually in the feminine, pronounced slowly, emphatically and with a high intonation) indicates that what follows is exceptional; quite a; quite the
- Ontem de noite caiu uma chuva.
- We had quite a rain last night.
- Estamos comendo um churrasco.
- We are having the barbecue.
- Synonym: aquele
Quotations edit
For quotations using 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)
- 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 quotations using this term, see Citations:um.
Pronoun edit
um m or f (plural uns)
- a person; one; someone
- Chegou-me um e disse: "Olá!" ― One came to me and said: "Hello!"
- element(s) of a previously mentioned class: one; some (in the plural)
- Comprei uns e me decepcionei. ― I bought some and got disappointed.
Quotations edit
For quotations using 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)
Sawai edit
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
um
Further reading edit
- Donald A. Burquest, Wyn D. Laidig, Phonological Studies in Four Languages of Maluku (1992)
Scots edit
Pronunciation edit
Pronoun edit
um
- (South Scots, personal) him
See also edit
Serbo-Croatian edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *umъ.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
ȗm m (Cyrillic spelling у̑м)
Declension edit
Slovak edit
Etymology edit
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *umъ.
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
um m inan (genitive singular umu, nominative plural umy, genitive plural umov, declension pattern of dub)
Declension edit
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
References edit
- “um”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024