some

some
some O.E. sum "some," from P.Gmc. *sumas (Cf. O.S., O.Fris., O.H.G. sum, O.N. sumr, Goth. sums), from PIE root *sem- "one, as one" (Cf. Skt. samah "even, level, similar, identical;" Gk. HAMO- (Cf. hamo-); see SAME (Cf. same)) For substitution of -o- for -u-, see COME (Cf. come).
The word has had greater currency in English than in the other Teutonic languages, in some of which it is now restricted to dialect use, or represented only by derivatives or compounds, as WFris. sommige, somlike, Du. sommige (also somtiids, sommijlen 'sometimes'), LG sömige (G. dial. summige). [OED]
Meaning "remarkable" is attested from 1808, American English colloquial. A possessive form is attested from 1560s, but always was rare. Many combination forms (somewhat, sometime, somewhere) were in Middle English but often written as two words till 17-19c. Somewhen is rare and since 19c. used almost exclusively in combination with more common compounds. Get some "have sexual intercourse" is attested 1899 in a quote attributed to Abe Lincoln from c.1840.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?
Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Some — (s[u^]m), a. [OE. som, sum, AS. sum; akin to OS., OFries., & OHG. sum, OD. som, D. sommig, Icel. sumr, Dan. somme (pl.), Sw. somlige (pl.), Goth. sums, and E. same. [root]191. See {Same}, a., and cf. { some}.] 1. Consisting of a greater or less… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • some — [ səm, strong sʌm ] function word, quantifier *** Some can be used in the following ways: as a determiner (followed by an uncountable noun): I ll make some coffee. (followed by a plural noun): She brought me some flowers. (followed by a singular… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • some — 1. The use of some to mean ‘very much’ or ‘notably such’ in sentences of the type. This is some party is still considered suitable mainly for informal contexts, and Churchill s famous line in a speech in 1941, Some chicken! Some neck! (in… …   Modern English usage

  • some — [sum] adj. [ME som < OE sum, a certain one, akin to Goth sums < IE * som > SAME] 1. being a certain one or ones not specified or known [open some evenings] 2. being of a certain unspecified (but often considerable) number, quantity,… …   English World dictionary

  • -some — ♦ Élément, du gr. sôma « corps » : centrosome, chromosome, ribosome. somato , some éléments, du gr. sôma, sômatos, corps . some V. somato . ⇒ SOME, élém. formant Élém. tiré du gr. , de « corps », entrant dans la constr. de termes sav. en biol. et …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • -some — as a suffix forming adjectives, it represents O.E. sum (see SOME (Cf. some); Cf. O.Fris. sum, Ger. sam, O.N. samr), related to sama same. As a suffix added to numerals meaning a group of that number (Cf. twosome) it represents O.E. sum some, used …   Etymology dictionary

  • Some — may refer to:*Some, a word denoting an indeterminate number of something: see Grammatical number* Some , a song by Built to Spill from their 1994 album There s Nothing Wrong with Love *Some Records, an US record label.*So Others Might Eat (SOME) …   Wikipedia

  • Some — Données clés Réalisation Chang Yoon hyun Scénario Kim Eun jeong Kim Eun shil Acteurs principaux Ko Soo Song Ji hyo Pays d’origine …   Wikipédia en Français

  • -some — ( s[u^]m). [AS. sum; akin to G. & OHG. sam, Icel. samr, Goth. lustusams longed for. See {Same}, a., and cf. {Some}, a.] An adjective suffix having primarily the sense of like or same, and indicating a considerable degree of the thing or quality… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • -some — Ⅰ. some [1] ► SUFFIX forming adjectives meaning: 1) productive of: loathsome. 2) characterized by being: wholesome. 3) apt to: tiresome. ORIGIN Old English. Ⅱ. some …   English terms dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”