-um

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /É™m/

Origin

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

Suffix

1. Denotes singular grammatical number.
2. (chemistry) Forms the ends of the names of certain elements (such as molybdenum and platinum).
3. 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.
• 1896, F J Stimsom, King Noanett: A Story of Old Virginia and the Massachusetts Bay, p. 254:"Givum dinner; smokum pipe," was all that we could get out of Quatchett.
• 1871 Mrs. Edward Millett, An Australian parsonage; or, The settler and the savage in Western Australia, p. 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."

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