-um

See also: Appendix:Variations of "um"

English

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From the homographic case endings of the nominative, accusative, and vocative forms of numerous neuter Latin second declension nouns.

Suffix

-um (plural -a)

1. Denotes singular grammatical number.
2. (chemistry) Forms the ends of the names of certain elements (such as molybdenum and platinum).

Usage notes

• The vast majority of words which feature this suffix also have standard -ums plurals formed by suffixation with the -s plural suffix. However, in such situations, the -s suffix morphologically is additional to and separate from the -um suffix.

Derived terms

Terms which feature the -um suffix

• criterium
• datum
• decennium
• delirium
• desideratum
• erratum (cf. German Irrtum)
• fatum
• forum
• gymnasium
• honorarium
• imperium
• interbellum (between war(s))
• labarum
• lucidum
• mandatum
• maximum
• medium
• millennium
• minimum
• modicum
• mortuarium
• museum
• opium
• optimum
• Persarum
• pessarium
• podium
• postbellum (after war)
• referendum
• sanatorium
• solarium
• stadium
• talcum (any shiny mineral)
• tedium
• ultimatum
• unicum
• vacuum
• Valium

Translations

Latinate singular grammatical number suffix

Dutch: -um (nl) French: -um (fr) German: -um Greek: -ο (el) (-o), -ον (el) (-on) Italian: -o (it), -a (it) Japanese: ウム (-umu) Portuguese: -o (pt) Spanish: -o (es) Swedish: -um (sv)

See also

See also

• -a
• -ium
• -on
• -os
• -us

Etymology 2

Possibly from 'em.

Suffix

-um

1. Denotes transitive verbs in the trade pidgins used between English-speakers and indigenous populations; used derogatorily by extension in English by addition to any verb, transitive or not.
   • 1871, Mrs. Edward Millett, An Australian parsonage; or, The settler and the savage in Western Australia, page 129:

     Having finished her return of deaths, she went on to say "Black fellow sick—white lady fowl sendum—white lady kangaroo sendum—master all self eatum—" but here she paused and made an exception in favour of the matron, expressed by the words " Missis not eatum—missis good fellow."

   • 1896, F J Stimsom, King Noanett: A Story of Old Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay, page 254:

     "Givum dinner; smokum pipe," was all that we could get out of Quatchett.

Derived terms

(any sense):

English terms suffixed with -um

aluminum

antirrhinum

concretum

davyum

desideratum

glucinum

lanthanum

mithridatum

molybdenum

œnophorum

omnium-gatherum

osmoticum

platinum

smokum

Anagrams

• -mu-, MU, Mu, mu

Bislama

Alternative forms

• -em
• -im

Etymology

From English him, 'em.

Suffix

-um

1. Indicates a transitive verb

Usage notes

The suffix to be used is determined by vowel harmony. If the last vowel in the stem is u, then the suffix is -um. Otherwise, use -em or -im.

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin -ūmen (action noun suffix), an extended form of -men.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈum]

Suffix

-um m

1. used to form nouns, usually with a collective and pejorative connotation

   ‎greix (“grease”) + ‎-um → ‎greixum (“grime, grunge”)

   ‎pixar (“to piss”) + ‎-um → ‎pixum (“piss, urine”)

Derived terms

Catalan terms suffixed with -um

greixum

patum

pixum

verdum

Further reading

• “-um”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.

Dutch

Suffix

-um (plural -a or -ums)

1. denotes singular grammatical number of words of Latin origins

Usage notes

• Both the plural forms of -a and -ums are used in everyday language, but the latter is sometimes proscribed against.

See also

• -s

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʊm/

Etymology 1

From Latin -um.

Suffix

-um n (plural -en or -a)

1. generally unproductive suffix found in neuter nouns of Latin origin

Etymology 2

As a variant of -heim through reduction to [əm] and subsequent backing. Compare -em. This is the only origin in most areas, but along the North Sea coast, where the suffix is most frequent, it sometimes goes back to Old Frisian -em, -um (dative plural ending), equivalent to German -en as in -hausen. Distinguishing both origins is often impossible, however.

Suffix

-um

1. (unproductive) a placename suffix, often an alternative form of -heim

Derived terms

• Accum
• Ackerum
• Adlum
• Ahlum
• Alkersum
• Alsum
• Ammersum
• Amrum
• Ankum
• Archsum
• Arnum
• Atzum
• Austum
• Baccum
• Bachum
• Bakum
• Balkum
• Baltrum
• Bargum
• Barum
• Bassum
• Beckum
• Beinum
• Bekum
• Belum
• Berkum
• Berum
• Bettrum
• Bingum
• Blersum
• Bochum
• Boldixum
• Bolzum
• Bondelum
• Bordelum
• Borgsum
• Borkum
• Bornum
• Börßum
• Borsum
• Breinum
• Breklum
• Brinkum
• Brockum
• Bültum
• Büsum
• Canum
• Carum
• Cirkwehrum
• Critzum
• Dahlum
• Dalum
• Damsum
• Dersum
• Dettum
• Ditzum
• Dornum
• Dorum
• Dötzum
• Dratum
• Dunsum
• Dunum
• Eckum
• Eickum
• Eilsum
• Eilum
• Einum
• Eitzum
• Esklum
• Extum
• Filsum
• Flechum
• Freepsum
• Fulkum
• Garbolzum
• Grimersum
• Gyhum
• Hamswehrum
• Harsum
• Harum
• Hassum
• Hatzum
• Haxtum
• Heersum
• Heinum
• Heissum
• Herbrum
• Herßum
• Heyersum
• Hilmarsum
• Holsthum
• Holtum
• Holum
• Hommersum
• Hönnersum
• Hörnum
• Horum
• Hötzum
• Hüddessum
• Husum
• Imsum
• Itzum
• Jarssum
• Jemgum
• Kalkum
• Karlum
• Kehrum
• Keitum
• Kirchborgum
• Klintum
• Kökelsum
• Kölsum
• Krukum
• Kuckum
• Landersum
• Latum
• Leversum
• Loccum
• Logabirum
• Loikum
• Loppersum
• Lucklum
• Luttrum
• Luttum
• Lutum
• Machtsum
• Mahlum
• Matrum
• Mehrum
• Mesum
• Midlum
• Morsum
• Muckum
• Mulsum
• Mundersum
• Mussum
• Nieblum
• Oberhelsum
• Ochtersum
• Ochtum
• Oedelum
• Oevenum
• Ohlum
• Ohrum
• Oldsum
• Oppum
• Östrum
• Pelkum
• Petkum
• Pewsum
• Pogum
• Polsum
• Querum
• Rantum
• Reckelsum
• Reckum
• Reeßum
• Risum
• Roklum
• Rorichum
• Röttum
• Rötzum
• Rysum
• Siegelsum
• Sillium
• Sorsum
• Sottrum
• Stadum
• Stedum
• Stockum
• Struckum
• Styrum
• Süderlügum
• Sussum
• Sustrum
• Sutrum
• Sydikum
• Tetekum
• Thunum
• Tinnum
• Toftum
• Twixlum
• Utersum
• Uthwerdum
• Uttum
• Vahnum
• Vanikum
• Vernum
• Vinnum
• Vöhrum
• Vossum
• Wachtum
• Waggum
• Walchum
• Walsum
• Wankum
• Watzum
• Wätzum
• Wehrum
• Werdum
• Wessum
• Westrum
• Westum
• Winkum
• Wirdum
• Witsum
• Wrixum
• Wybelsum

Hungarian

Etymology

From Latin -um (“2nd declension neuter nominative singular termination”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [um]

Suffix

-um

1. A distinguishable foreign word-ending in nouns of Latin origin. It is not considered an independent Hungarian suffix.

   abszurdum (“absurdity”)

See also

• Appendix:Hungarian suffixes

References

• Attila Mártonfi: The System of the Hungarian Suffixes, Theses of PhD Dissertation, Budapest, 2006

Icelandic

Suffix

-um

1. used to form the dative plural of most nouns, all strong adjectives and most pronouns

   ‎hestur (“horse”) + ‎-um → ‎hestum (“of horses”)

   ‎ríkur (“rich”) + ‎-um → ‎ríkum (“of (the) rich”)

2. used to form the first person plural of verbs in the indicative and subjunctive, past and present

   ‎telja (infinitive) + ‎-um → ‎við teljum (“we count or believe”) (indicative)

   ‎telja (infinitive) + ‎-um → ‎við teldum (“we would believe”) (subjunctive past)

3. used to form some adverbs from nouns or adjectives — it is actually a frozen dative

   ‎stund (“time, hour”) + ‎-um → ‎stundum (“sometimes”)

   ‎langur (“long”) + ‎-um → ‎löngum (“oftentimes”)