† um-prefix

A reduced form of umb- prefix, perhaps directly < Old Norse um- (Icelandic and Norwegian um-. Middle Swedish um-, om-, Swedish and Danish om-); a similar reduction has taken place in Old Frisian um- (Frisian om-, âm-), Middle Dutch um-, om- (Dutch om-), Middle Low German and Middle High German (also German) um-, and in the occasional Old English ym-, em- for ymb-, emb-. The more important words with this form of the prefix are umbrace v., umbraid v., umgang n., etc.; the following rarer verbs are chiefly found in northern texts of the 14th century:—The majority of these have corresponding forms in umbe- prefix, and a certain number also appear with umb- prefix. In the cognate languages the following parallel forms with similar significations occur:—umclead, Middle Dutch omcleeden (p.p. omghecleet), Norwegian umklædd p.p.; umfold, Danish omfolde, German umfalten (Middle High German umbefalten), Dutch omvouwen; umgripe, Middle Dutch omme-, omgripen (Dutch omgrijpen), Middle Low German ummegrîpen (Middle High German umbegrîfen), North Frisian âmgrip, Middle Swedish umgripa, older Danish omgribe; umsee, West Frisian omsjen, North Frisian âmse, Middle Dutch omme-, om-, umsien (Dutch omzien), Middle Swedish umsea, older Danish omse (also Old Frisian umbesia, Middle Dutch ombesien, Old High German umbisehan, umbesehen, Old English ymbséon); umseek, Middle Dutch omme-, omsoeken, Middle Swedish omsökia, older Danish omsøge; umshade, Middle Low German ummescheden, North Frisian âmskadi; umshadow, Middle Dutch ommescaduwen (Dutch omschaduwen), Middle High German umbeschatewen, -schetewen; umshine, Middle Dutch omme-, Dutch omschijnen, Middle High German umbeschînen, Middle Swedish omskina, Old English ymbscínan; umstand, Middle Dutch omme-, omstaen (Dutch omstaan), German umstehen, older Danish omstande; umwrithe, Danish omvride, Swedish omvrida.