umgang

U1M3G2A1N1G2
/ˈʌmɡaŋ/

noun

A round about; a way around; detour.

OriginMiddle English umgang ← Old English ymbgang ← Proto-West Germanic *umbigang →
RareScrabble 10
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Meanings

nounumgang (plural umgangs)

plural umgangs · alternative umgong

  1. UKdialectalobsoleteA round about; a way around; detour.
  2. ScotlandUKdialectalobsoleteAn instance of going or passing around; a trip.
  3. ScotlandUKdialectalobsoleteA circuit; circumference.

Origin

  1. Proto-Germanic*umbigangaz
  2. Proto-West Germanic*umbigang
  3. Old Englishymbgang
  4. Middle Englishumgang
  5. Englishumgang

From Middle English umgang, umbegang (“circumference, circuit”), from Old English ymbgang, ymbegang (“going about, going round, circuit, circumference, surrounding belt, a winding course, bend, a going about a business”), from Proto-West Germanic *umbigang, from Proto-Germanic *umbigangaz, equivalent to um- + gang. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Uumgong, West Frisian omgong, Dutch omgang (“dealing, handling”), German Umgang (“dealings, handling”), Danish omgang (“game”). More at um-, gang.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic

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Cite this entry
APA

umgang. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umgang

MLA

“umgang.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umgang. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “umgang,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umgang.

Source: umgang on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.