am

See also: Appendix:Variations of "am"

Languages (51)

Translingual • English

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Abau • Achang • Aromanian • Azerbaijani • Baba Malay • Ch'orti' • Chungli Ao • Chuukese • Fula • Garo • German • Hungarian • Indonesian • Irish • Kabyle • Kofyar • Lagwan • Livonian • Luxembourgish • Malalí • Megleno-Romanian • Middle English • Middle Welsh • Mwaghavul • Ngas • Nigerian Pidgin • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old English • Old Irish • Pero • Pumpokol • Romanian • Scottish Gaelic • Spanish • Sumerian • Tagalog • Tangale • Tarifit • Tày • Turkish • Tzeltal • Uspanteco • Vietnamese • War-Jaintia • Welsh • West Makian • Yola • Yucatec Maya

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology 1

From a- (“atto-”) +‎ m (“meter”).

Symbol

am

2. (metrology) Symbol for attometre (attometer), an SI unit of length equal to 10⁻¹⁸ metres (meters).

Etymology 2

Clipping of English Amharic.

Symbol

am

2. (international standards) ISO 639-1 language code for Amharic.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Amharic terms

English

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₁es-

Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi

Proto-Germanic *immi

Proto-West Germanic *im

Old English eom

Middle English am

English am

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 (“to be, to exist”).

Cognate with Old Norse em (Old Swedish æm (“am”)), Gothic 𐌹𐌼 (im, “am”), Ancient Greek εἰμῐ́ (eimĭ́, “am”), Old Armenian եմ (em, “am”), Albanian jam (“am”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation)
  • (weak form) IPA^(key): /əm/
  • (strong form) IPA^(key): /æm/, [am], [æm]
• (New Zealand)
  • (weak form) IPA^(key): /əm/
  • (strong form) IPA^(key): /æm/, [æ̝m], [ɛm], [e̞m]
• (Philadelphia) IPA^(key): /ɛm/
• (æ-raising)
  • (weak form) IPA^(key): /əm/
  • (strong form) IPA^(key): /æm/, [ẽə̯̃m], [ɛ̃ə̯̃m]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æm

Verb

am

1. first-person singular present indicative of be
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 1:23:

     He ſaid, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderneſſe: Make ſtraight the way of the Loꝛd, as ſaid the Pꝛophet Eſaias.

   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Marsha, I am in the kitchen!

Derived terms

• amirite
• cham

See also

forms of be

• amn't
• are
• aren't
• art
• be
• been
• beest
• being
• is
• was
• wast
• were
• wert

Contraction

am

1. (informal or dialectal) Contraction of I +‎ am.

Etymology 2

Adverb

am (not comparable)

1. 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^[2], →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

• -ma-, M&A, M.A., MA, Ma, ma

Abau

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /am/

Noun

am class II gender m

1. breadfruit
2. breadfruit seeds
3. a very sticky liquid from the breadfruit tree, used as traditional glue

References

SIL International (2020), “Abau Dictionary”, in Webonary.org‎^[3]

Achang

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mV-qəm (“jaw, chin”).

Pronunciation

• (Myanmar) /am˧/

Noun

am

1. jaw
   • 2010, “Job 41:2”, in Ngochang Common Language Bible‎^[4], Yangon: Bible Society of Myanmar:

     Nyah am mha nghweh yoh jauh lhyeh?

     Can you pass through its jaw with a hook?

Further reading

• Inglis, Douglas; Sampu, Nasaw; Jaseng, Wilai; Jana, Thocha (2005), A preliminary Ngochang–Kachin–English Lexicon‎^[5], Payap University, page 1

Aromanian

Alternative forms

• amu

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 (third-person singular ari or are, simple perfect avui, imperfect aveam, participle avutã)

1. to have
2. to own
3. (auxiliary, with past participles) to have ...

Conjugation

Conjugation of am (irregular)

past participle			avutã
singular				plural
person
	mine/mini	tine/tini	nãs, nãsã/nãsa	noi	voi	nãsh, nãse/nãsi
present	amu, am	ai	ari, are	avemu, avem	avetsi, avets	au
imperfect	aveam	aveai	avea, avia	aveam	aveatsi	avea

Related terms

• aveari / aveare
• avut
• avutsãscu

Azerbaijani

Etymology 1

Other scripts

Cyrillic		ам
Arabic		آم

Inherited from Proto-Oghuz اَمْ (am), from Proto-Turkic *am. Cognate with Turkish and Turkmen am. Related to amcıq with the same sense and derived from the same root.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

am (definite accusative amı, plural amlar)

1. (vulgar) cunt

   Synonyms: amcıq, dıllaq, dındıq, mıtıq

Declension

Declension of am

	singular	plural
nominative	am	amlar
definite accusative	amı	amları
dative	ama	amlara
locative	amda	amlarda
ablative	amdan	amlardan
definite genitive	amın	amların

Possessive forms of am

	nominative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amım	amlarım
sənin (“your”)	amın	amların
onun (“his/her/its”)	amı	amları
bizim (“our”)	amımız	amlarımız
sizin (“your”)	amınız	amlarınız
onların (“their”)	amı or amları	amları
	accusative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amımı	amlarımı
sənin (“your”)	amını	amlarını
onun (“his/her/its”)	amını	amlarını
bizim (“our”)	amımızı	amlarımızı
sizin (“your”)	amınızı	amlarınızı
onların (“their”)	amını or amlarını	amlarını
	dative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amıma	amlarıma
sənin (“your”)	amına	amlarına
onun (“his/her/its”)	amına	amlarına
bizim (“our”)	amımıza	amlarımıza
sizin (“your”)	amınıza	amlarınıza
onların (“their”)	amına or amlarına	amlarına
	locative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amımda	amlarımda
sənin (“your”)	amında	amlarında
onun (“his/her/its”)	amında	amlarında
bizim (“our”)	amımızda	amlarımızda
sizin (“your”)	amınızda	amlarınızda
onların (“their”)	amında or amlarında	amlarında
	ablative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amımdan	amlarımdan
sənin (“your”)	amından	amlarından
onun (“his/her/its”)	amından	amlarından
bizim (“our”)	amımızdan	amlarımızdan
sizin (“your”)	amınızdan	amlarınızdan
onların (“their”)	amından or amlarından	amlarından
	genitive
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amımın	amlarımın
sənin (“your”)	amının	amlarının
onun (“his/her/its”)	amının	amlarının
bizim (“our”)	amımızın	amlarımızın
sizin (“your”)	amınızın	amlarınızın
onların (“their”)	amının or amlarının	amlarının

Etymology 2

Other scripts

Cyrillic		ам
Arabic		عام

Borrowed from Arabic عَام (ʕām).

Noun

am (definite accusative amı, plural amlar)

1. (Classical Azerbaijani) year

   Synonyms: il, sal, sənə

Declension

Declension of am

	singular	plural
nominative	am	amlar
definite accusative	amı	amları
dative	ama	amlara
locative	amda	amlarda
ablative	amdan	amlardan
definite genitive	amın	amların

Possessive forms of am

	nominative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amım	amlarım
sənin (“your”)	amın	amların
onun (“his/her/its”)	amı	amları
bizim (“our”)	amımız	amlarımız
sizin (“your”)	amınız	amlarınız
onların (“their”)	amı or amları	amları
	accusative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amımı	amlarımı
sənin (“your”)	amını	amlarını
onun (“his/her/its”)	amını	amlarını
bizim (“our”)	amımızı	amlarımızı
sizin (“your”)	amınızı	amlarınızı
onların (“their”)	amını or amlarını	amlarını
	dative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amıma	amlarıma
sənin (“your”)	amına	amlarına
onun (“his/her/its”)	amına	amlarına
bizim (“our”)	amımıza	amlarımıza
sizin (“your”)	amınıza	amlarınıza
onların (“their”)	amına or amlarına	amlarına
	locative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amımda	amlarımda
sənin (“your”)	amında	amlarında
onun (“his/her/its”)	amında	amlarında
bizim (“our”)	amımızda	amlarımızda
sizin (“your”)	amınızda	amlarınızda
onların (“their”)	amında or amlarında	amlarında
	ablative
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amımdan	amlarımdan
sənin (“your”)	amından	amlarından
onun (“his/her/its”)	amından	amlarından
bizim (“our”)	amımızdan	amlarımızdan
sizin (“your”)	amınızdan	amlarınızdan
onların (“their”)	amından or amlarından	amlarından
	genitive
	singular	plural
mənim (“my”)	amımın	amlarımın
sənin (“your”)	amının	amlarının
onun (“his/her/its”)	amının	amlarının
bizim (“our”)	amımızın	amlarımızın
sizin (“your”)	amınızın	amlarınızın
onların (“their”)	amının or amlarının	amlarının

Further reading

• “am” in Obastan.com.

Baba Malay

Etymology

From Hokkien 飲 / 饮 (ám).

Noun

am

1. rice water

Further reading

• Baba Malay Dictionary

Ch'orti'

Etymology

From Proto-Mayan *ʔam.

Noun

am

1. spider

References

• Hull, Kerry (2016), A Dictionary of Ch'orti' Mayan-Spanish-English, Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, →ISBN, page 52

Chungli Ao

Etymology 1

From Proto-Central Naga *hram.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /am˥˩/, [am˥˩]

Verb

am

1. to take with the hands, hold
   • 1967, “2 Kings 13:15”, in Ao Naga Common Language Bible, Bible Society of India:

     Elishai pa dang ashi, “Lijak aser lijakjang am-ang;" aser pai pa lijak aser lijakjang am.

     Elisha said, "Take a bow and [some] arrows," and he took a bow and [some] arrows.

Inflection

Inflection of am (Chungli)

		Affirmative	Negative
Past	Simple	am	mam
	Perfect	amogo	mamogo
Present	Simple	amer	mamer
	Progressive	amdar amdagi	mamdar mamdagi
Future/infinitive		amtsü	mamtsü
Imperative		amang	tam
Present participle		ama	mami
Conditional		amra amrabang	mamra mamrabang

Derived terms

• amet
• amshi

Etymology 2

From Proto-Central Naga *a-h(j)əm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /am˧/, [am˧]

Noun

am

1. flour

Further reading

• Bruhn, Daniel Wayne (2014), A Phonological Reconstruction of Proto-Central Naga‎^[6], Berkeley: University of California, pages 64, 218, 220
• Gowda, K. S. Gurubasave (1985), Ao-English-Hindi Dictionary, Mysore: Central Institute of Indian Languages, pages 8, 17
• Clark, Mary M. (1893), Ao Naga grammar with illustrative phrases and vocabulary, Molung: Assam Secretariat Printing Office, page 121

Chuukese

Pronoun

am

1. First-person plural exclusive pronoun; us (exclusive)

See also

Chuukese personal pronouns

		singular	plural
1st person		ngaang, nganga, ngang	áám, am (exclusive) kiich, kich (inclusive)
2nd person		een, en	áámi, ami
3rd person		iiy, i	iir, ir

Fula

Alternative forms

• an

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Determiner

am (singular)

1. (possessive) my

   suudu am

   my house

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular). However, an is more common in Pular.

Garo

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

am

1. mat

Derived terms

• amipang
• ampatchi

References

• Burling, R. (2003), The Language of the Modhupur Mandi (Garo) Vol. II: The Lexicon‎^[7], 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

• IPA^(key): /am/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -am

Contraction

am

1. contraction of an (“at/on”) +‎ dem (“the”, masculine/neuter dative singular) [with adjective ending with -en and masculine or neuter noun]

   am Ende ― at the end

   am Rande ― on the margin(s)

   am Leben ― alive

2. (Bavaria, Austria) contraction of auf (“on/at”) +‎ dem (“the”, masculine/neuter dative singular) [with adjective ending with -en and masculine or neuter noun]

   Synonym: (colloquial) aufm

   am Berg ― on the mountain

   am Fest ― at the festival

   am Schirm ― on the screen

Usage notes

• The contraction am is obligatory when the definite article has no deixis whatsoever. In this case it is ungrammatical to use an/auf dem as separate words:

Er steht am Gartenzaun. ― He's standing at the garden fence.

Am Anfang konnte ich ihn gar nicht leiden. ― In the beginning, I couldn't stand him at all.

• On the other hand, am is usually not applicable when the definite article has an indicative function. This includes contexts in which English would use a demonstrative pronoun (“this” or “that”) but also some others. Particularly, an dem is used before a defining relative clause.

An dem Tag habe ich beschlossen, dass sich etwas ändern muss. ― On that day, I decided that something had to change.

Die Katze sitzt immer an dem Fenster, von dem man den besten Überblick über den Garten hat. ― The cat always sits by the window that gives you the best view of the garden.

Particle

am

1. Precedes the superlative in adverbial and predicate use.

   am schnellsten ― fastest

   am schwächsten ― weakest

   am wichtigsten ― most important

   Er spielt am besten.

   He plays best.

2. (informal) Used to form the progressive aspect of verbs, especially intransitive ones. [with gerund]

   Wir sind noch am Überlegen, wie wir es angehen.

   We're still thinking about how we'll go about it.

Usage notes

• Compare Alemannic German am and Dutch aan het.

Further reading

• “am”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[8] (in German)

Hungarian

Etymology

Abbreviation.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɒmuːɟ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Adverb

am

1. (Internet slang, text messaging) abbreviation of amúgy (“otherwise, anyway; by the way”)

See also

• a. m.
• am-
• ám

Indonesian

Etymology

From Malay am, from Classical Malay عام (am), from Arabic عَامّ (ʕāmm).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈam/ [ˈam]
• Rhymes: -am
• Syllabification: am

Adjective

am

1. common, general

   Synonyms: umum, awam

2. common (not expert)

Derived terms

• diamkan
• mengamkan

Further reading

• “am”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish amm, from Proto-Celtic *ammen-, *ammo-, probably ultimately from the root of aimser (“point in time”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /aumˠ/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /ɑːmˠ/, /amˠ/
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /amˠ/

Noun

am m (genitive singular ama, nominative plural amanna or amanta)

1. time

Declension

Declension of am (third declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative am amanna vocative a am a amanna genitive ama amanna dative am amanna forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an t-am na hamanna genitive an ama na n-amanna dative leis an am don am leis na hamanna

Alternative declension

Declension of am (third declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative am amanta vocative a am a amanta genitive ama amanta dative am amanta forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an t-am na hamanta genitive an ama na n-amanta dative leis an am don am leis na hamanta

Derived terms

• ag an am céanna (“at the same time”)
• am ar bith (“at any time”)
• am de lá (“the time of day”)
• am dúnta (“closing time”)
• am éigin eile (“another, some other, time”)
• am eile
• am lóin (“lunch-time”)
• am luath
• am luí (“bedtime”)
• am mall (“old time”)
• am na gréine (“the time by the sun”)
• am na réaltaí (“sidereal time”)
• am nua (“summer-time”)
• amchrios (“time zone”)
• amscála (“time scale”)
• ar feadh an ama (“all the time”)
• bileog ama (“timesheet”)
• buama ama (“time bomb”)
• cad é an t-am atá sé (“What time is it?”)
• cén t-am é?
• clár ama (“timetable”)
• clásal ama (“temporal clause”)
• faoin am seo (“by this time”)
• freangadh ama (“time warp”)
• gearr-am
• i rith an ama
• in am agus in an-am (“in and out of season”)
• in am go leor (“time enough”)
• in aon am (“at one time; together”)
• le ham
• leabhar ama (“time-book”)
• ó am go ham (“from time to time”)
• pointe ama (“point in time”)
• san am céanna
• sprioc-am (“set time; deadline”)
• tríd am (“in course of time”)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• dom, dom'

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əmˠ/

Contraction

am (triggers lenition)

1. (colloquial, dialectal) contraction of do +‎ mo, literally “to/for my”

Etymology 3

Alternative forms

• im, 'mo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əmˠ/

Contraction

am (triggers lenition)

1. (colloquial, dialectal) contraction of i +‎ mo, literally “in my”

Mutation

Mutated forms of am

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
am	n-am	ham	t-am

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “am”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “am”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 25
• “am”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2026

Kabyle

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Berber.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /am/

Preposition

am

1. like

   Synonyms: amzun, bḥal

   Tamurt-agi am tmurt-iw. ― This country is like mine.

Usage notes

Nouns following the preposition am are placed in the annexed state.

References

• Association Culturelle Numidya (2025), “Amawal, dictionnaire kabyle-français en ligne”, in Amawal‎^[9], retrieved 2025
• Dallet, Jean-Marie (1982), Dictionnaire kabyle-français: parler des At Mangellat, Algérie (in French), Paris, France

Kofyar

Etymology

Related to Gerka ram (“water”).

Noun

am

1. 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" [GT]:

  (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: […] Kfy. am [Ntg. 1967, 1], […]

Lagwan

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Chadic *ymn.

Noun

am

1. 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" [GT]:

  (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: […] Lgn. a̲m [Mch.] = àm (pl.) [Lks.] = ˀàm [Bouny] = ˀàm [Bouny 1975 MS, 5, #58], Bdm. amaii "water", amai "rain" [Talbot 1911, 252] […]

Livonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *hamëh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑˀm/, [ˈɑˀm]

Noun

a’m

1. men's suit
2. jacket

Declension

Declension of a’m (152)

	singular (ikšlu’g)	plural (pǟgiņlu’g)
nominative (nominatīv)	a’m	a’mmõd
genitive (genitīv)	a’m	a’mmõd
partitive (partitīv)	a’mtõ	a’mmidi
dative (datīv)	a’mmõn	a’mmõdõn
instrumental (instrumentāl)	a’mkõks	a’mmõdõks
illative (illatīv)	a’mmõ	a’mmiž
inessive (inesīv)	a’msõ	a’mmis
elative (elatīv)	a’mstõ	a’mmist

References

• Tiit-Rein Viitso; Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), “a’m”, in Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz [Livonian-Estonian-Latvian Dictionary]‎^[10] (in Estonian and Latvian), Tartu, Rīga: Tartu Ülikool, Latviešu valodas aģentūra

Luxembourgish

Contraction

am

1. contraction of an + dem; in the

Malalí

Noun

am

1. earth

References

• Robert Gordon Latham, Elements of Comparative Philology
• Martius, Beiträge zur Ethnographie und Sprachenkunde Brasiliens

Megleno-Romanian

Etymology

From Latin habeo.

Verb

am

1. I have.

Related terms

• veari / veri

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

• ame, em

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /am/, /ɛm/

Verb

am

1. first-person singular present indicative of been
   • c. 1395, John Wycliffe, John Purvey [et al.], transl., Bible (Wycliffite Bible (later version), MS Lich 10.)‎^[11], published c. 1410, Joon 1:23, folio 43, verso, 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

• English: am
• Scots: am
• Yola: aam, ame

Etymology 2

Pronoun

am

1. 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

• IPA^(key): /am/

Preposition

am (triggers lenition)

1. about
2. for, on account of
3. concerning, as regards

Inflection

Inflected forms

	singular	plural
first person	amdanaf	amdanam / amdanan
second person	amdanat	amdanawch
third person	amdanaw / ymdanaw / ymdanw m amdanei / ymdeni f	ymdanaduð / ymdadnadunt / ymdanunt / amdanwynt

Derived terms

• am ben (“upon”)
• amdan (“on”)
• amgylch (“about, towards”)
• amlaw (“in addition to”)
• gwiscaw am (“to put on (clothes etc.)”)
• y am (“off; apart from”)

Further reading

• Evans, D. Simon (1964), A Grammar of Middle Welsh (Medieval and Modern Welsh Series; supplementary volume), Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 63 (a), § 203, pages 58, 182–83
• Morris Jones, John (1913), A Welsh Grammar, Historical and Comparative, Oxford: Clarendon Press, § 209 (v), page 399

Mwaghavul

Etymology

Related to Gerka ram (“water”).

Noun

àm

1. 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" [GT]:

  (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: […] Sura àm "Wasser, Flüssigkeit" [Jng. 1963, 58], Mpn. àm [Frj. 1991, 3], […]

Ngas

Etymology

Related to Gerka ram (“water”).

Noun

am

1. water
2. 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" [GT]:

  (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: […] Angas am "1. water, 2. rain" [Ormsby 1914, 314-315] = am "water (to drink of wash with)" [Flk. 1915, 143] = […]

Nigerian Pidgin

Pronoun

am

1. him/her/it
   • 1960, Chinua Achebe, No Longer at Ease, page 85:

     Where you pick am?

     Where did you pick it?

   • 2013, Yemi Alade, “Johnny”, in King of Queens:

     And he talk say I no do am like the way Cynthia dey do

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2024 March 17, Selin Girit and Grujica Andric, “Wetin go happun to your social media accounts wen you die”, in BBC News Pidgin‎^[12], archived from the original on 29 August 2024:

     "I don do am almost 20 times and notin dey happun. I no kuku get di strength contact Facebook to fix am."

     "I have messaged him almost 20 times and nothing has happened. I don't really have the strength to contact Facebook to fix it."

Further reading

• “am” in Naija Guru, 2026.

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

am

1. imperative of amme

Norwegian Nynorsk

Verb

am

1. imperative of amme

Old English

Verb

am

1. (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

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /am/
• (noun) IPA^(key): /ˈam/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *emmi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁esmi, from *h₁es- (“to be”).

Alternative forms

• amm

Verb

am

1. first-person singular present indicative of is; am

Etymology 2

Noun

am n

1. alternative spelling of amm (“time”)

Mutation

Mutation of am

radical	lenition	nasalization
am (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	am	n-am

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Pero

Noun

ám

1. water

References

• Zygmunt Frajzyngier, A grammar of Pero (1989)

Pumpokol

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *amʌ (“mother”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /am/

Noun

am (plural unknown)

1. mother

Further reading

• Портфель Миллера in Russian state archives, foilo 199.
• Werner, Heinrich K. (2005), Die Jenissej-Sprachen des 18. Jahrhunderts (in German), Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz KG, →ISBN, page 179

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /am/
• Rhymes: -am

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

1. first-person singular present indicative of avea

   (I) have

2. 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

1. (eu) am (modal auxiliary, first-person singular form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)

   (I) have...

   Eu am câștigat meciul.

   I have won the match.

2. (noi) am (modal auxiliary, first-person plural form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)

   (we) have...

   Noi am fost la biserică duminică.

   We have been to church on Sunday.

Related terms

• ai
• a
• ați
• au

Etymology 3

Presumably from a Vulgar Latin *eamus, from Latin habēbāmus.

Verb

am

1. (noi) am (modal auxiliary, first-person plural form of avea, used with infinitives to form conditional tenses)

   (we) would

Related terms

• aș
• ai
• ar
• ați

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Article

am

1. inflection of an (“the”):
   1. nominative singular masculine preceding f-
   2. 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

1. 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
	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, before the definite article anns, combined with the singular definite article san, sa, combined with the plural definite article sna)

1. Form of an (“in”) used before the consonants b-, f-, m- or p-.

Synonyms

• ann am

Etymology 4

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Particle

am

1. Form of an (interrogative particle) used before the consonants b-, f-, m- or p-.

Verb

am

1. Form of an (present interrogative copula) used before the consonants b-, f-, m- or p-.

References

• Mark, Colin (2003), The Gaelic–English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, pages 32-33

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a ˈeme/ [a ˈe.me]
• Syllabification: am

Adverb

am

1. a.m. (before noon)

   Antonym: pm

Sumerian

Romanization

am

1. romanization of 𒄠 (am)

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• aam — dialectal, chiefly Batangas

Etymology

Borrowed from Hokkien 飲 / 饮 (ám, “rice broth; rice water”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈʔam/ [ˈʔam]
• Rhymes: -am
• Syllabification: am

Noun

am (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜋ᜔)

1. rice water; white broth made from boiled rice

   Bigyan mo ng am ang bata.

   Give the child some rice broth.

Related terms

• suam

See also

• hugas-bigas

Further reading

• “am”, in KWF Diksiyonaryo ng Wikang Filipino, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, 2025
• “am”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018

Anagrams

• Ma., Ma, ma, ma-

Tangale

Noun

am

1. 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" [GT]:

  (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: […] Tng. am [Jng.], […]

• 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

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Berber.

Pronunciation

• (Nador) IPA^(key): [ɛˑm]

Preposition

am (Tifinagh spelling ⴰⵎ)

1. like

   Synonym: amecnaw

   Netta d ameḥḍar am necc ― He is a student like me.

References

• Serhoual (2002)
• Abarrou (2024)

Tày

Pronunciation

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [ʔaːm˧˥]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [ʔaːm˦]

Adjective

am

1. 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]‎^[13][14] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
• Dương Nhật Thanh; Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003), Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎^[15] (in Tày and Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội [Social Sciences Publishing House]

Turkish

Etymology

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish آم, from Proto-Oghuz اَمْ (am), from Proto-Turkic *am.

cognates

Cognate with Azerbaijani am, Turkmen and Uzbek am, Bashkir and Tatar әм (äm), Kazakh and Kyrgyz ам (am)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈam/
• Rhymes: -am
• Hyphenation: am

Noun

am (definite accusative amı, plural amlar)

1. (vulgar) cunt, pussy (genitalia)

Declension

Declension of am

singular plural nominative am amlar definite accusative amı amları dative ama amlara locative amda amlarda ablative amdan amlardan genitive amın amların Possessive forms nominative singular plural 1st singular amım amlarım 2nd singular amın amların 3rd singular amı amları 1st plural amımız amlarımız 2nd plural amınız amlarınız 3rd plural amları amları definite accusative singular plural 1st singular amımı amlarımı 2nd singular amını amlarını 3rd singular amını amlarını 1st plural amımızı amlarımızı 2nd plural amınızı amlarınızı 3rd plural amlarını amlarını dative singular plural 1st singular amıma amlarıma 2nd singular amına amlarına 3rd singular amına amlarına 1st plural amımıza amlarımıza 2nd plural amınıza amlarınıza 3rd plural amlarına amlarına locative singular plural 1st singular amımda amlarımda 2nd singular amında amlarında 3rd singular amında amlarında 1st plural amımızda amlarımızda 2nd plural amınızda amlarınızda 3rd plural amlarında amlarında ablative singular plural 1st singular amımdan amlarımdan 2nd singular amından amlarından 3rd singular amından amlarından 1st plural amımızdan amlarımızdan 2nd plural amınızdan amlarınızdan 3rd plural amlarından amlarından genitive singular plural 1st singular amımın amlarımın 2nd singular amının amlarının 3rd singular amının amlarının 1st plural amımızın amlarımızın 2nd plural amınızın amlarınızın 3rd plural amlarının amlarının

Derived terms

• amcı
• amcık
• amına koyayım
• amlama
• amlamak

Further reading

• “am”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
• Ayverdi, İlhan (2010), “am”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), “am”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• “am”, in Köken Bilgisi Sözlüğü‎^[16], Türk Dil Kurumu, 2011–
• “am”, in Türkiye'de halk ağzından derleme sözlüğü [Compilation Dictionary of Popular Speech in Turkey] (in Turkish), Ankara: Türk Dil Kurumu, 1963–1982

Tzeltal

Noun

am

1. spider

Uspanteco

Noun

am

1. spider

References

• Leamos uspanteco: Kawitojtak kibꞌ chi rilic jwich wuj laj tzijbꞌal ajtilmit: En uspanteco y español‎^[17] (overall work in Spanish and Uspanteco), ILV, 1998, page 1

Vietnamese

Etymology

Sino-Vietnamese word from 庵.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaːm˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaːm˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔaːm˧˧]

Noun

(classifier cái) am

1. small Buddhist temple, small pagoda
2. hermitage, secluded hut, cottage

Anagrams

• ma

War-Jaintia

Noun

am

1. water

References

• Jeremy Brightbill, Amy Kim, Seung Kim, The War-Jaintia in Bangladesh: a sociolinguistic survey, SIL Electronic Survey Reports 2007-013: 153, page 58

Welsh

Alternative forms

• (about; for): amdan

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

• IPA^(key): /am/

Preposition

am (triggers soft mutation)

1. (with most verbs) about, concerning

   Synonyms: parthed, ynghylch, ynglŷn â

2. (with certain verbs) for, in exchange for
3. (time) at
4. (in exclamations) what a (+noun), how (+adjective)

   Am lanastr! ― What a mess!

   Am annheg! ― How unfair!

Inflection

Personal forms (literary)

	singular	plural
first person	amdanaf	amdanom
second person	amdanat	amdanoch
third person	amdano m amdani f	amdanynt

Personal forms (colloquial)

	singular	plural
first person	amdano i/fi, amdana i	amdanon ni
second person	amdanot ti, amdanat ti	amdanoch chi
third person	amdano fe/fo m amdani hi f	amdanyn nhw

Derived terms

• am ben (“upon, in addition to”)
• am byth (“forever”)
• bod am (“to want”)

Conjunction

am

1. 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

• achos
• oherwydd

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈam/

Verb

am

1. (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

• a

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982), The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[18], Pacific linguistics

Yola

Verb

am

1. 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 *ʔam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈam]

Noun

am (plural amoʼob)

1. 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