# um
## Translingual
### Etymology

u- (“micro-, 10$^{-6}$”) + m (“metre”).

### Symbol

um
* (international standards) Alternative form of µm

## English
### Alternative forms

* umm, uhm, hum, erm

### Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʌm/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ʌm (when stressed, or as a verb)
Used in rhotic dialects. Compare to British English erm.

### Interjection

um
* Expression of hesitation, uncertainty or space filler in conversation.
    Synonyms: er, hmm, uh, eh
    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.
* (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.

### Particle

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.
    Me be Injun. Him um Growling Bear. Him um heap big chief.
** 1871, “Grand camp meeting on Bear River”, in The Keepapitchinin‎, 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

* um-hum

### Anagrams

* -mu-, MU, Mu, mu

## Czech
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *umъ

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈum]
* Hyphenation: um
* Rhymes: -um

### Noun

um m inan
* skill, art

#### Declension
### See also

* schopnost
* dovednost
* umění

### Further reading

* “um”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
* “um”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
* “um”, in Internetová jazyková příručka (in Czech), 2008–2025

## East Makian
### Noun

um
* 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
* if

### Preposition

um
* around
* about (a subject)

## Faroese
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʊmː/

### Preposition

um
* around [with accusative]
* about [with accusative]
* during [with accusative]
* through [with accusative]
* over [with accusative]

### Conjunction

um
* whether, if

## Galician
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈuŋ/ [ˈuŋ]
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -uŋ
* Hyphenation: um

### Numeral

um m (feminine umha or uma, reintegrationist norm)
* one

#### 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

* cum, cumha, cuma
* dum, dumha, duma
* num, numha, numa

### References

* “um” in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (2014).

## German
### Alternative forms

* umb, ümb, üm (obsolete)

### 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

* IPA: /ʊm/
* Audio:(file)
* Audio:(file)
* Audio (Austria):(file)
* Rhymes: -ʊm

### 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 umWe will shortly bind you/ Erdgeist, your time is up(Friedrich von Hardenberg, Novalis)

### Adverb

um
* around, about
* turned over, changed, from one state to another

#### Derived terms

* um deinetwillen
* um euretwillen
* um ihretwillen
* um Ihretwillen
* um meinetwillen
* um seinetwillen

## Hawaiian Creole
### Etymology

Derived from English ’em.

### Pronoun

um
* them (those ones)
** 2000, “Matthew 8”, in Joseph Grimes, transl., Da Jesus Book: Hawaii Pidgin New Testament‎, Wycliffe Bible Translators, →ISBN, page 110:He tell um, “Go.” So dey wen let go da guys, an go take ova da pigs. An you know wat? All da pigs wen run down one steep hill an fall ova da cliff inside da lake, an drown inside da water.And he said unto them, Go. And they came out, and went into the swine: and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep into the sea, and perished in the waters.

## Hunsrik
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /um/

### 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
* around, about
    Das kost um zweu hunnerd Rëal.This costs around two hundred reais.

### Further reading

* Online Hunsrik Dictionary

## Icelandic
### Alternative forms

* umb

### 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

* um að gera
* vera um og ó

### 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".
    Ég er búinn að brjóta heilann um þetta alla nótt!I've been racking my brain about this all night!

#### 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 (“straight away”)
* um leið og (“as soon as, at the same time as”)
* 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
### 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:

## Irish
### Alternative forms

* im

### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʊmˠ/

### Preposition

um (plus dative, triggers lenition, except of b, m, and p)
* about
* at
* because of, on account of

#### Derived terms

* uime

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “um”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

## Khasi
### Etymology

Probably cognate to U ʔóm.

### Noun

um
* water

### References

* H. Roberts, A Grammar of the Khasi Language

## Ladino
### Interjection

um
* (onomatopoeia) mmm (emotional expression of deliciousness)
** 2006, Matilda Koén-Sarano, Por el plazer de kontar‎, Nur Afakot, page 145:Le demandí kon la bava a la boka: "Um!… I de kualo es?" "De pera", me disho Viktoria. Yo al gostí… Estava maraviyoza.I asked her mouthwateringly: ‘Mmm…! What is this?’ ‘Pear’, Viktoria told me. To me, the taste was… wonderful.

### Further reading

* “um”, in Trezoro de la Lengua Djudeoespanyola.

## Livonian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /um/

### Verb

u'm
* first/third-person singular present indicative of vȱlda

## Lote
### Noun

um
* stone

### References

* Greg Pearson, René van den Berg, Lote Grammar Sketch (2008)

## Luxembourgish
### Contraction

um
* contraction of op + dem; on the, at the, to the
* contraction of un + dem

## Mòcheno
### 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)
* about, around
* (time) at
    Um biavle ist s? ― What time is it? (literally, “How many is it at?”)

### References

* “um” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Etymology

From Old Norse um.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʊmː/, [ʊmː], [umː], [ʊ̟mː], [ʉmː]

### Preposition

um
* (pre-1938 or dialectal) alternative form of om

### References

* “um” in Ivar Aasen (1873) Norsk Ordbog med dansk Forklaring

## Old Norse
### 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.
** Vǫluspá, verse 2, lines 1-2, in 1860, T. Möbius, Edda Sæmundar hins fróða: mit einem Anhang zum Theil bisher ungedruckter Gedichte. Leipzig, page 1:
    Ek man jǫtna / ár um borna, […]I remember giants / born long ago, […]

#### Descendants

* Icelandic: um
* Faroese: um
* Norwegian Nynorsk: um; (dialectal) om, øm
* Old Swedish: um
** Swedish: om
* Danish: om
** Norwegian Bokmål: om
*** → Norwegian Nynorsk: om

### 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

## Pennsylvania German
### Etymology

Compare German um, Dutch om, Old English ymb.

### Preposition

um
* around

## Pnar
### Etymology

From Proto-Khasian *ʔum (“tree”). Cognate with Khasi um.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʔum/

### Noun

um
* water

## Polish
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *ũmъ.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈum/
* Rhymes: -um
* Syllabification: um
* Homophone: -um

### Noun

um m inan
* (obsolete) mind, reason
    Synonyms: rozsądek, rozum, umysł

#### Derived terms

* umny
* umowy
* umność

#### Related terms

* rozumny
* umysłowy
* umiejętność
* umysłowość
* rozumieć impf
* umieć impf

### Further reading

* um in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Portuguese
### Alternative forms

* hum (obsolete)

### 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

* (Brazil) IPA: (numeral) /ˈũ/, (article) /ũ/
* (Portugal) IPA: (numeral) /ˈũ/, (article) /ũ/
* (São Miguel, Azores) IPA: (numeral) /ˈœ̃/, (article) /œ̃/
* Audio (Brazil):(file)
* Rhymes: -ũ
* Hyphenation: um

### 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

* adunar
* anular
* aunar
* coadunar
* não
* nulo
* unânime
* unanimidade
* uni-
* união
* único
* unidade
* unir

#### Descendants

* Indo-Portuguese: um
* Kabuverdianu: un

### 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.

## Romansch
### Etymology

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

### Noun

um m (plural umens)
* man
    Coordinate term: dunna
* husband
    Synonym: (Sutsilvan) cunsort
    Coordinate term: dunna

## Sawai
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /um/

### Noun

um
* house

### Further reading

* Donald A. Burquest, Wyn D. Laidig, Phonological Studies in Four Languages of Maluku (1992)

## Scots
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ʌm/, /əm/

### Pronoun

um
* (Southern Scots, personal) him

#### See also

* hei

## Serbo-Croatian
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *umъ.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ûːm/

### Noun

ȗm m (Cyrillic spelling у̑м)
* mind
* intellect
* wit

#### Declension
## Slovak
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *umъ.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [um]

### Noun

um m inan
* mind
* intellect
* wit

#### Synonyms

* rozum m
* hlava f
* zmysel m

#### Derived terms

* umček
* umný
* umový

### References

* “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, 2003–2025
* ↑ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1938) Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Description of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ancienne Honoré Champion, § 105, page 93