English

Alternative forms

• umbe-, umb-

Prefix

um-

1. (no longer productive, obsolete outside dialects, chiefly Scotland) Prefix meaning around, about.

Derived terms

Faroese

Etymology

From the preposition um.

Prefix

um-

1. over, about, around

Derived terms

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʊm/, [ʔʊm]

Prefix

um- (separable or inseparable)

1. round, round about
2. repeatedly, over again, re-
3. in another way
4. to the ground, down, over

Usage notes

When this prefix is separable, the stress falls on the prefix: ˈumbiegen, ˈumbilden, ˈumdeuten, ˈumgeben. When inseparable, the stress falls on the root: umˈflattern, umˈfluten, umˈgaukeln, umˈmauern.

Derived terms

Tagalog

Etymology

From Proto-Austronesian *-um-

Prefix

um-

1. actor trigger: to do something

   Kumain ako.

   I ate. (I is focused.)

2. no trigger: expresses natural phenomena

   Umulan kanina.

   It rained a while ago. (Nothing is focused.)

3. actor trigger: to become or get

   Parang pumayat si Gloria.

   It looks like Gloria got thinner. (Gloria is focused.)

4. actor trigger: (with root word reduplication) to do something occasionally, at random, a little, a bit, now and then or here and there

   Kumakain-kain ako pag wala akong magagawa.

   I eat a little bit when I have nothing to do. (I is focused.)

Usage note

Mag- vs. um-

• The affix mag- is usually used for verbs which involve an exterior object, whereas um- is used for verbs which don't.

  Nagtanong ako sa guro. = I asked the teacher.

  Umalis na ako. = I already left.

• Mag- is also used for deliberate actions, while um- can be used for involuntary actions.

  Lumalaki ang bata. = The child grew.

• Some words can also change meaning if either one of them is used.

  Root word: alis = to go

  mag-alis = to remove

  umalis = to leave

  Root word: sakay = riding

  magsakay = to load

  sumakay = to ride

See also

Zulu

Prefix

um- ‎(full noun prefix, basic form m-)

1. Class 1 and 3 noun prefix.

Usage notes

The form um- is used with stems that have more than one syllable, such as umfana or umlilo. With stems of only one syllable, the prefix is umu-.

See also