Dutch

Suffix

-ums

1. Plural form of -um

Synonyms

• -a

Latvian

Etymology

From Proto-Baltic *-umas, possibly from an earlier suffix *-ma(s) added to a u-stem (e.g., Lithuanian saugùs ‎(“safe, sure”), saugù-mas), from which the u was reinterpreted as part of the suffix and then extended to other stems. Cognate with Lithuanian -umas.^[1]

Suffix

-ums

1. Added to adjectives to form nouns indicating a state of being, similar to (and frequently corresponding to) English -ness, -ence, -tion.
2. Added to verbs to form nouns indicating an object produced by the action described by the verb.

Derived terms

References

1. ↑ Forssman, Berthold. 2001. Lettische Grammatik (Dettelbach: Verlag J. H. Röll GmbH) ISBN: 3-89754-194-7, page 258.