um
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Appendix:Variations of "um"
Symbol
um
- (international standards) Alternative form of µm
Etymology 1
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Interjection
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
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
Particle
um
See also
Anagrams
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *umъ
Pronunciation
Noun
um m inan
Declension
Declension of um (hard masculine inanimate)
See also
Further reading
Noun
um
References
- C. L. Voorhoeve, The Makian Languages and Their Neighbours (1982)
Etymology
From Old Norse um, from Proto-Germanic *umbi. Cognate with Swedish om.
Conjunction
um
Preposition
um
Etymology
From Old Norse umb, from Proto-Germanic *umbi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“round about, around”).
Pronunciation
Preposition
um
- around [with accusative]
- about [with accusative]
- during [with accusative]
- through [with accusative]
- over [with accusative]
Conjunction
um
| 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 | ||||
Pronunciation
Numeral
um m (feminine umha or uma, reintegrationist norm)
Usage notes
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
References
- “um” in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (2014).
Alternative forms
Etymology
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
Preposition
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
- (um + das) ums
Conjunction
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
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
um
Derived terms
Pronunciation
Preposition
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
- (um + das) ums
Adverb
um
Further reading
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Norse um, from Proto-Germanic *umbi (“around, about”).
Adverb
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
Preposition
um [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.
- 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
- Often used with phrases such as "brjóta heilann um".
Derived terms
- 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”)
Etymology
From Portuguese um (“a”), from Old Galician-Portuguese ũu, from Latin ūnus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos.
Article
um
- a (the indefinite article)
- 1883, Hugo Schuchardt, Kreolische Studien, volume 3:
- Um homm tinh doiz filh:
- A man had two sons:
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Old Irish imb, from Proto-Celtic *ambi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“round about, around”).
Pronunciation
Preposition
um (plus dative, triggers lenition, except of b, m, and p)
Inflection
Derived terms
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “um”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
Etymology
Noun
um
References
- H. Roberts, A Grammar of the Khasi Language
Pronunciation
Verb
u'm
Noun
um
References
- Greg Pearson, René van den Berg, Lote Grammar Sketch (2008)
Contraction
um
Etymology
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
um (+ accusative)
References
- “um” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.
Etymology
Pronunciation
Preposition
um
References
- “um” in Ivar Aasen (1873) Norsk Ordbog med dansk Forklaring
Alternative forms
- umb — older form
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *umbi (“around, about”). Cognate with Old English ymbe, Old Frisian umbe, ombe, Old Saxon umbi, Old High German umbi.
Preposition
um
- about, concerning [with accusative]
- round, past, beyond [with accusative]
- over, across, along [with accusative]
- during, at a point in time [with accusative]
- because of, for [with accusative]
Particle
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
Further reading
- Zoëga, Geir T. (1910) “um”, in A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press; also available at the Internet Archive
- J. Fritzner (1867) “um”, in Ordbog over det gamle norske Sprog (in Danish), Kristiania: Feilberg & Landmark
Etymology
Preposition
um
Etymology
From Proto-Khasian *ʔum (“tree”). Cognate with Khasi um.
Pronunciation
Noun
um
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ũmъ.
Pronunciation
Noun
um m inan
Declension
Declension of um
Derived terms
adjectives
- umny
- umowy
noun
- umność
Related terms
adjectives
nouns
- umiejętność
- umysłowość
verbs
Further reading
- um in Polish dictionaries at PWN
| 10 | ||||
| ← 0 | 1 | 2 → | 10 → | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal: um Ordinal: primeiro Ordinal abbreviation: 1.º, 1º Multiplier: único, singular Fractional: inteiro | ||||
| Portuguese Wikipedia article on 1 | ||||
Alternative forms
Etymology
Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese ũu (“one; a”), from Latin ūnum (“one”), from Old Latin oinos, from Proto-Italic *oinos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos (“one”). Doublet of uno.
Pronunciation
Numeral
um m (feminine uma)
- one
- Uma xícara de café ― One cup of coffee
Quotations
For quotations using this term, see Citations:um.
Related terms
Descendants
Article
um (feminine uma, masculine plural uns, feminine plural umas)
- (indefinite) a, an
- Um carro, uma casa. ― A car, a house.
- 2005, J. K. Rowling, translated by Lia Wyler, 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, translated by Lia Wyler, 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
For quotations using this term, see Citations:um.
See also
Noun
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
For quotations using this term, see Citations:um.
Pronoun
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
For quotations using this term, see Citations:um.
Etymology
From Latin homō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ (“earthling”).
Noun
um m (plural umens)
Pronunciation
Noun
um
Further reading
- Donald A. Burquest, Wyn D. Laidig, Phonological Studies in Four Languages of Maluku (1992)
Pronunciation
Pronoun
um
- (Southern Scots, personal) him
See also
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Slavic *umъ.
Pronunciation
Noun
ȗm m (Cyrillic spelling у̑м)
Declension
Declension of um
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