English

Alternative forms

• umb, umbe

Preposition

um

1. Alternative form of umbe

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

Alternative forms

• umm

Pronunciation

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

Used in rhotic dialects. Compare to British English erm.

Interjection

um

1. Expression of confusion or space filler in conversation. See uh.

   Um, I don’t know.

   Let’s see... um... how about this?

   • 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.

2. (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.

Verb

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

A Latin-script rendering of µm.

Pronunciation

• Pronounced as micrometer.

Noun

um ‎(plural um)

1. Alternative spelling of µm

Anagrams

• mu, Mu, MU

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /um/
• Rhymes: -um

Noun

um m

1. skill, art

See also

• schopnost
• dovednost
• umění

East Makian

Noun

um

1. house

References

• C. L. Voorhoeve, The Makian Languages and Their Neighbours (1982)

Elfdalian

Etymology

From Old Norse um, from Proto-Germanic *umbi. Cognate with Swedish om.

Conjunction

um

1. if

Preposition

um

1. around
2. about (a subject)

Faroese

Etymology

From Old Norse umb, from Proto-Germanic *umbi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi ‎(“round about, around”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʊmː/

Preposition

um

1. (with accusative) around
2. (with accusative) about
3. (with accusative) during
4. (with accusative) through
5. (with accusative) over

Conjunction

um

1. whether, if

German

Alternative forms

• umb (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old High German umbi, from Proto-Germanic *umbi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi ‎(“round about, around”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʊm/
• Rhymes: -ʊm

Preposition

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

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.

Adjective

um ‎(not comparable)

1. (predicative, not attributive) up, in the sense of finished

   Werden dich in kurzem binden/ Erdgeist, deine Zeit ist um (Friedrich von Hardenberg, Novalis)

   We will shortly bind you/ Erdgeist, your time is up

Adverb

um

1. around, about
2. turned over, changed, from one state to another

Icelandic

Alternative forms

• umb

Adverb

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

• vera um og ó

Preposition

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

• 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

Indo-Portuguese

Etymology

From Portuguese um ‎(“a”), from Old Portuguese ũu, from Latin ūnus, from Proto-Indo-European *óynos.

Article

um

1. a (the indefinite article)
   • 1883, Hugo Schuchardt, Kreolische Studien, volume 3:

     Um homm tinh doiz filh:

     A man had two sons:

Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *ambi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi ‎(“round about, around”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ʊmˠ]

Preposition

um ‎(plus dative, triggers lenition, does not mutate b, m, or p)

1. about
2. at

Inflection

Khasi

Etymology

Probably cognate to U ʔóm.

Noun

um

1. water

References

• H. Roberts, A Grammar of the Khasi Language

Latin

Verb

um

1. accusative supine of aegreō

Livonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /um/

Verb

u'm

1. 1st person singular present indicative form of vȱlda
2. 3rd person singular present indicative form of vȱlda

Luxembourgish

Contraction

um

1. contraction of op + dem; on the, at the, to the
2. contraction of un + dem

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• umb

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

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

References

• um in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• hum (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old Portuguese ũu ‎(“one; a”), from Latin ūnus ‎(“one”), from Old Latin oinos, from Proto-Italic *oinos, from Proto-Indo-European *óynos ‎(“one”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈũ]
• Hyphenation: um
• Rhymes: -ũ

Numeral

um m ‎(feminine uma)

1. one

   Uma xícara de café‎ ― One cup of coffee

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:um.

Article

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 […]

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:um.

See also

Noun

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.

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:um.

Pronoun

um

1. a person; one; someone

   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.

Quotations

For usage examples of this term, see Citations:um.

Romansch

Etymology

From Latin homō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰmṓ ‎(“earthling”)

Noun

um m ‎(plural umens)

1. man
2. husband

Coordinate terms

• dunna

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌm/, /əm/

Pronoun

um

1. (South Scots, personal) him

See also

• hei

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *umъ

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ûːm/

Noun

ȗm m ‎(Cyrillic spelling у̑м)

1. mind
2. intellect
3. wit

Declension

Slovak

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *umъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /um/

Noun

um m ‎(genitive singular umu, nominative plural umy, declension pattern of dub)

1. mind
2. intellect
3. wit

Declension

Synonyms

• rozum m
• hlava f
• zmysel m

References

• um in Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk