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, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Translingual
Symbol
am
- (metrology) Symbol for attometer (attometre), an SI unit of length equal to 10−18 meters (metres).
- (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Amharic.
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English am, em, from Old English eam, eom (“am”), from Proto-West Germanic *im, from Proto-Germanic *immi, *izmi (“am”, form of the verb *wesaną (“to be; dwell”)), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi (“I am, I exist”).
Cognate with Old Norse em (Old Swedish æm (“am”)), Gothic 𐌹𐌼 (im, “am”), Ancient Greek εἰμῐ́ (eimí, “am”), Old Armenian եմ (em, “am”), Albanian jam (“am”).
Pronunciation
Verb
am
- first-person singular present indicative of be
Derived terms
See also
Contraction
am
- (informal or dialectal) Contraction of I am.
Etymology 2
Adverb
am (not comparable)
- Alternative spelling of a.m.
2017, Huei-Ru Hsieh et al., “Lessons Learned from the 0801 Petrochemical Pipeline Explosions in Kaohsiung City”, in Fire Science and Technology 2015: The Proceedings of 10th Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology, →DOI, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 183:On 1 August 2014 at approximately 12 am, in Lingya and Chienchen Districts of Kaohsiung City, a series of explosions from underground pipelines and sewer system occurred.
Anagrams
Aromanian
Alternative forms
Etymology
The verb as a whole derives from forms of the Latin habeō, habēre. The first-person present singular form am(u), along with some other inflected forms, may have been analogical constructions (in this case, from an old form (aemu) of first-person plural (now avem)), or influenced by nearby languages. Compare Romanian avea, am; cf. also Albanian kam (“to have”). The third-person singular present indicative, ari, may have derived from Latin haberet.
Verb
am first-singular present indicative (third-person singular present indicative ari or are, imperfect aveam, simple perfect avui, past participle avutã)
- to have
- to own
- (auxiliary, with past participles) to have ...
Related terms
Azerbaijani
Etymology 1
From Proto-Turkic *(i)am (“vulva”). Related to amcıq with the same sense and derived from the same root.
Pronunciation
Noun
am (definite accusative amı, plural amlar)
- (vulgar) cunt
- Synonyms: amcıq, dıllaq, dındıq
Declension
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Arabic عَام (ʕām).
Noun
am (definite accusative amı, plural amlar)
- (Classical Azerbaijani) year
- Synonyms: il, sal, sənə
Declension
Further reading
Baba Malay
Etymology
From Hokkien 飲/饮 (ám).
Noun
am
- rice water
Further reading
Chuukese
Pronoun
am
- First-person plural exclusive pronoun; us (exclusive)
See also
Chuukese personal pronouns
Fula
Alternative forms
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Determiner
am (singular)
- (possessive) my
- suudu am
- my house
Usage notes
Garo
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Noun
am
- mat
Derived terms
References
- Burling, R. (2003) The Language of the Modhupur Mandi (Garo) Vol. II: The Lexicon, Bangladesh: University of Michigan, page 35
- Mason, M.C. (1904) , English-Garo Dictionary, Mittal Publications, New Delhi, India
- Garo-Hindi-English Learners' Dictionary, North-Eastern Hill University Publications, Shillong
German
Pronunciation
Contraction
am (+ adjective ending with -en + masculine or neuter noun)
- an + dem, at the, on the
- am Ende ― at the end
- am Rande ― on the margin(s)
- am Leben ― alive
- auf + dem, on the, at the
- am Berg ― on the mountain
- am Fest ― at the festival
- am Schirm ― on the screen
- Forms the superlative in adverbial and predicate use.
- am schnellsten ― fastest
- am schwächsten ― weakest
- am wichtigsten ― most important
Er spielt am besten.- He plays best.
Further reading
- “am” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
Hungarian
Etymology
Abbreviation.
Pronunciation
Adverb
am
- (Internet slang, text messaging) Abbreviation of amúgy (“otherwise, anyway; by the way”).
See also
Indonesian
Etymology
From Malay am, from Classical Malay عام (am), from Arabic عَامّ (ʕāmm).
Pronunciation
Adjective
am
- common, general.
- Synonyms: umum, awam
- common (not expert).
Derived terms
References
- ^ Erwina Burhanuddin, Abdul Gaffar Ruskhan, R.B. Chrismanto (1993) Penelitian kosakata bahasa Arab dalam bahasa Indonesia [Research on Arabic vocabulary in Indonesian], Jakarta: Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, →ISBN, →OCLC
Further reading
Irish
Etymology 1
From Old Irish amm, from Proto-Celtic *ammen-, *amo-, probably ultimately from the root of aimser (“point in time”).
Pronunciation
Noun
am m (genitive singular ama, nominative plural amanna or amanta)
- time
Declension
- Alternative declension
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Contraction
am (triggers lenition)
- (colloquial, dialectal) Contraction of do mo (“to/for my”).
Etymology 3
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Contraction
am (triggers lenition)
- (colloquial, dialectal) Contraction of i mo (“in my”).
Mutation
Irish mutation
|
Radical |
Eclipsis |
with h-prothesis |
with t-prothesis
|
am
|
n-am
|
ham
|
t-am
|
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.
|
References
- ^ G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 amm”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 291, page 103
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “am”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “am”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 25
- Entries containing “am” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
Kofyar
Etymology
Related to Gerka ram (“water”).
Noun
am
- water
References
- Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
- we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
- (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Kfy. am ,
Lagwan
Etymology
Ultimately from Proto-Chadic *ymn.
Noun
am
- water
References
- Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
- we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
- (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Lgn. a̲m = àm (pl.) = ˀàm = ˀàm , Bdm. amaii "water", amai "rain"
Luxembourgish
Contraction
am
- contraction of an + dem; in the
Malalí
Noun
am
- earth
References
- Robert Gordon Latham, Elements of Comparative Philology
- Martius, Beiträge zur Ethnographie und Sprachenkunde Brasiliens
Middle English
Etymology 1
From Old English eam, eom, from Proto-West Germanic *im, from Proto-Germanic *immi, first-person singular of *wesaną.
Alternative forms
Pronunciation
Verb
am
- first-person singular present indicative of been
c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.), published c. 1410, Joon 1:23, page 43v, column 1; republished as Wycliffe's translation of the New Testament, Lichfield: Bill Endres, 2010:he ſeide / I am a vois of a crier in deſert .· dꝛeſſe ȝe þe weie of þe loꝛd. as yſaie þe pꝛophete ſeide- He said: "I am the voice of a crier in the wilderness; straighten the way of the Lord, as the prophet Isaiah said."
Usage notes
- More common than be as a first-person singular form.
Descendants
Etymology 2
Pronoun
am
- Alternative form of hem (“them”)
Middle Welsh
Etymology
From Proto-Celtic *ambi (compare Old Irish imb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi. Cognate with Latin ambi-, Sanskrit अभि (abhí, “towards, over, upon”), Old Persian 𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎹 (a-b-i-y /abiy/, “towards, against, upon”), Old High German umbi, Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí, “about, around”) and the first part of Old Armenian ամբ-ողջ (amb-ołǰ, “whole”).
Pronunciation
Preposition
am (triggers lenition)
- about
- for, on account of
- concerning, as regards
Inflection
Derived terms
Mwaghavul
Etymology
Related to Gerka ram (“water”).
Noun
àm
- water
References
- Zygmunt Frajzyngier, A Grammar of Mupun (1993)
- Václav Blažek, A Lexicostatistical comparison of Omotic languages, in In Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the four fields of anthropology, page 122
- Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
- we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
- (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Sura àm "Wasser, Flüssigkeit" , Mpn. àm ,
Ngas
Etymology
Related to Gerka ram (“water”).
Noun
am
- water
- rain
References
- Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
- we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
- (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Angas am "1. water, 2. rain" = am "water (to drink of wash with)" =
Nigerian Pidgin
Pronoun
am
- him/her/it
1960, Chinua Achebe, No Longer at Ease, page 85:Where you pick am?
(Where did you pick it?)
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Norwegian Bokmål
Verb
am
- imperative of amme
Norwegian Nynorsk
Verb
am
- imperative of amme
Old English
Verb
am
- (Northumbrian) first-person singular present indicative of wesan
References
- 17, Skeat, Walter Wiliams 'The Gospel according to Saint Luke: in Anglo-Saxon and Northumbrian versions synoptically'
Old Irish
Etymology
From Proto-Celtic *emmi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁esmi, from *h₁es- (“to be”).
Pronunciation
Verb
am
- first-person singular present indicative of is
Pero
Noun
ám
- water
References
- Zygmunt Frajzyngier, A grammar of Pero (1989)
Pumpokol
Noun
am
- mother
Romanian
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Inflected form of avea. Probably an analogical construction based on the old first-person plural or perhaps influenced by similar forms in other languages. Compare Aromanian am(u); cf. also Albanian kam (“I have”).
Verb
am
- first-person singular present indicative of avea
- (I) have
- first-person singular present subjunctive of avea
Etymology 2
From old Romanian amu, presumably from an earlier (proto-) Romanian form aemu (attested in Aromanian), from Latin habēmus. The original first-person singular in proto-Romanian was aibu, from Latin habeō, but was changed to am(u) by analogy with the first-person plural. The form with -v- (avem) in the present form of the verb's main conjugation (as opposed to its use in this form as an auxiliary verb) may have been remade by analogy with avut; am may also be seen as a reduced, clitic form of avem. See also ați, which has a parallel development.
Verb
am
- (eu) am (modal auxiliary, first-person singular form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)
- (I) have...
- (noi) am (modal auxiliary, first-person plural form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)
- (we) have...
Related terms
Etymology 3
Presumably from a Vulgar Latin *eamus, from Latin habēbāmus.
Verb
am
- (noi) am (modal auxiliary, first-person plural form of avea, used with infinitives to form conditional tenses)
- (we) would
Related terms
References
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology 1
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Article
am
- inflection of an (“the”):
- nominative singular masculine preceding f-
- nominative singular masculine preceding b-, m-, p-
Declension
Variation of am (definite article)
|
|
Masculine
|
Feminine
|
Plural
|
nom.
|
dat.
|
gen.
|
nom.
|
dat.
|
gen.
|
nom.
|
dat.
|
gen.
|
+ f-
|
am
|
anL
|
anL
|
na
|
na
|
nam
|
+ m-, p- or b-
|
am
|
a'L
|
a'L
|
na
|
na
|
nam
|
+ c- or g-
|
an
|
a'L
|
a'L
|
na
|
na
|
nan
|
+ sV-, sl-, sn- or sr-
|
an
|
anT
|
anT
|
na
|
na
|
nan
|
+ other consonant
|
an
|
an
|
an
|
na
|
na
|
nan
|
+ vowel
|
anT
|
an
|
an
|
naH
|
naH
|
nan
|
L Triggers lenition; H Triggers H-prothesis; T Triggers T-prothesis
|
Etymology 2
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Determiner
am
- Form of an (“their”) used before the consonants b-, f-, m- or p-.
See also
Scottish Gaelic possessive determiners
|
Singular
|
Plural
|
+ C
|
+ V
|
+ C
|
+ V
|
First person
|
moL
|
m'
|
ar
|
arN
|
Second person
|
doL
|
d'
|
ur
|
urN
|
Third person m
|
aL
|
—
|
an, am1)
|
an
|
Third person f
|
a
|
aH
|
L Triggers lenition; H Triggers H-prothesis; N Triggers eclipsis; 1) Used before b-, f-, m- or p-
|
Etymology 3
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Preposition
am (+ dative, no mutation)
- Form of an (“in”) used before the consonants b-, f-, m- or p-.
Synonyms
Etymology 4
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Particle
am
- Form of an (interrogative particle) used before the consonants b-, f-, m- or p-.
Verb
am
- Form of an (present interrogative copula) used before the consonants b-, f-, m- or p-.
References
- Colin Mark (2003) The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, pages 32-33
Spanish
Adverb
am
- a.m. (before noon)
- Antonym: pm
Sumerian
Romanization
am
- Romanization of 𒄠 (am)
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from Hokkien 飲/饮 (ám, “rice soup”).
Pronunciation
Noun
am (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜋ᜔)
- Alternative form of aam
Tangale
Noun
am
- water
References
- Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
- we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
- (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Tng. am ,
- Václav Blažek, A Lexicostatistical comparison of Omotic languages, in In Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the four fields of anthropology, page 122
Tarifit
Preposition
am (Tifinagh spelling ⴰⵎ)
- like
- Synonym: amecnaw
- netta d ameḥḍar am necc ― He is a student like me.
Tày
Pronunciation
Adjective
am
- overly soft and sticky from having too much water; pasty; viscid; clammy; soggy
- mỏ khảu bặng chảo am ― the rice in the pot is overly soft like soup
References
- Hoàng Văn Ma, Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Chí (2006) Từ điển Tày-Nùng-Việt [Tay-Nung-Vietnamese dictionary] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Từ điển Bách khoa Hà Nội
- Lương Bèn (2011) Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
- Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội
Turkish
Etymology
From Ottoman Turkish آم, from Proto-Turkic *am (“vulva”).
Pronunciation
Noun
am (definite accusative amı, plural amlar)
- (vulgar) cunt (genitalia)
Declension
See also
Tzeltal
Noun
am
- spider
Uspanteco
Noun
am
- spider
References
- Leamos uspanteco: Kawitojtak kibꞌ chi rilic jwich wuj laj tzijbꞌal ajtilmit: En uspanteco y español (overall work in Spanish and Uspanteco), ILV, 1998, page 1
Vietnamese
Etymology
Sino-Vietnamese word from 庵.
Pronunciation
Noun
(classifier cái) am
- small Buddhist temple, small pagoda, hermitage, secluded hut, cottage
Anagrams
War-Jaintia
Noun
am
- water
References
Welsh
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle Welsh am, from Old Welsh im, from Proto-Celtic *ambi (compare Old Irish imb), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi.
Cognate with Latin ambi-, Sanskrit अभि (abhí, “towards, over, upon”), Old Persian 𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎹 (a-b-i-y /abiy/, “towards, against, upon”), Old High German umbi, Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí, “about, around”) and the first part of Old Armenian ամբ-ողջ (amb-ołǰ, “whole”).
Pronunciation
Preposition
am (triggers soft mutation)
- (with most verbs) about, concerning
- Synonyms: parthed, ynghylch, ynglŷn â
- (with certain verbs) for, in exchange for
- (time) at
- (in exclamations) what a (+noun), how (+adjective)
- Am lanastr! ― What a mess!
- Am annheg! ― How unfair!
Inflection
Personal forms (literary)
Personal forms (colloquial)
Derived terms
Conjunction
am
- because (followed by fod or a “that”-clause)
Fydd e ddim yma heddiw am ei fod e’n sâl.- He won’t be here today as he’s sick.
Synonyms
West Makian
Pronunciation
Verb
am
- (transitive) to eat
Usage notes
The verb am ("to eat") takes the same verbal prefixes that directional verbs do.
Conjugation
Conjugation of am (directional verb)
|
|
singular
|
plural
|
inclusive
|
exclusive
|
1st person
|
tiam
|
miam
|
aam
|
2nd person
|
niam
|
fiam
|
3rd person
|
inanimate
|
iam
|
diam
|
animate
|
imperative
|
niam, am
|
fiam, am
|
Alternative forms
References
- Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours, Pacific linguistics
Yola
Verb
am
- Alternative form of aam
1867, “ABOUT AN OLD SOW GOING TO BE KILLED”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 1, page 106:"Murreen leam, kish am." Ich aam goan maake mee will.- To my grief, I am a big old sow. I am going to make my will,
References
- Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828) William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 106
Yucatec Maya
Etymology
From Proto-Mayan *Am.
Pronunciation
Noun
am (plural amoʼob)
- spider
References
- Beltrán de Santa Rosa María, Pedro (1746) Arte de el idioma maya reducido a succintas reglas, y semilexicon yucateco (in Spanish), Mexico: Por la Biuda de D. Joseph Bernardo de Hogal, page 176: “Araña otra. Am. .... Eſta mata. ― Another spider. Am. .... This one kills.”
- Montgomery, John (2004) Maya-English, English-Maya (Yucatec) Dictionary & Phrasebook, New York: Hippocrene Books, Inc., →ISBN, page 50