um-

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*h₂m̥bʰi“round about, around”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*umbi“around, about, by, near”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*umbi-
4. Old English · inherited fromymb-
5. Middle English · inherited fromum-
6. English todayum-

From Middle English um-, umbe-, embe-, from Old English ymb-, ymbe- (“around”), from Proto-West Germanic *umbi-, from Proto-Germanic *umbi (“around, about, by, near”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“round about, around”). Cognate with Dutch om- (“around”), German um- (“around”), Latin amb- (“around, about”), Latin ambi- (“both”), Ancient Greek ἀμφί (amphí, “around, about”), Sanskrit अभि (abhi, “against, about”).

Words from the same roots