sam

See also: Appendix:Variations of "sam"

Languages (29)

Translingual • English

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Atong (India) • Charrua • Chuukese • Garo • Hokkien • Lhao Vo • Livonian • Macanese • Maltese • Mizo • Nga La • Old English • Old Irish • Old Norse • Old Polish • Palula • Polish • Rohingya • Romani • Serbo-Croatian • Silesian • Slovene • Swedish • Vietnamese • Ye'kwana • Zhuang • Zou

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

Clipping of English Samaritan.

Symbol

sam

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Samaritan Aramaic.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Samaritan Aramaic terms

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English sammen, samnen, from Old English samnian, ġesamnian (“to collect, assemble, bring together, gather, join, unite, compose, meet, glean”), from Proto-West Germanic *samnōn, from Proto-Germanic *samnōną (“to gather”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one”). Cognate with Dutch zamelen (“to collect”), German sammeln (“to collect, gather”), Swedish samla (“to gather, collect”), Icelandic samna (“to gather, collect”). More at same.

Alternative forms

• samen

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sæm/
• Rhymes: -æm
• Homophone: Sam (Received Pronunciation, US)

Verb

sam (third-person singular simple present sams, present participle samming, simple past and past participle sammed)

1. (transitive, UK dialectal) To assemble.
2. (transitive, UK dialectal, of persons) To bring together; join (in marriage, friendship, love, etc.).
3. (transitive, UK dialectal, of things) To bring together; collect; put in order; arrange.
   • 1905, Keighley Snowden, Princess Joyce:

     I sammed it up for ye

4. (intransitive, UK dialectal) To assemble; come together.
5. (transitive, UK dialectal) To coagulate; curdle (milk).

Usage notes

• Often used with together or up

Derived terms

• stand sam
• upon my sam

Etymology 2

From Middle English sām (“together”), from Old English samen (“together”), from Proto-West Germanic *saman, from Proto-Germanic *samanai (“together”), from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“together, one”).

Adverb

sam (not comparable)

1. (obsolete) Together
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “(please specify the book)”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Now are they saints all in that city sam.

   • a. 1600, The Battle of Floddon Field‎^[2]:

     All Sam the souldiers then replied.

Etymology 3

From Middle English sam- (prefix), from Old English sam-, from Proto-Germanic *sēmi- (“half”), from Proto-Indo-European *sēmi- (“half”). Related to semi- (via Latin).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sæm/
• Rhymes: -æm
• Homophone: Sam (Received Pronunciation, US)

Adjective

sam (not comparable)

1. (dialectal) Half or imperfectly done.
2. (of food) Half-heated.

Related terms

• sammy
• sandblind

Etymology 4

Possibly from Uncle Sam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sæm/
• Rhymes: -æm
• Homophone: Sam (Received Pronunciation, US)

Noun

sam (plural sams)

1. (slang) Federal narcotics agent.

Anagrams

• 'ams, Mas, mas, MSA, -mas, ASM, AMS, M.A.S., MAs, sma, M.A.s, SMA, M. A. S., MAS, A.M.s, asm

Atong (India)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sʰam/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bodo-Garo *sam¹ (“grass”). Related to Garo samsi, Garo sam.

Noun

sam (Bengali script সাম)

1. grass; weed
2. medicine

Derived terms

• sambarat
• samchak
• samkong
• samphat
• samsai
• samsi

Etymology 2

Verb

sam- (Bengali script সাম)

1. to wait

Etymology 3

Classifier

sam- (Bengali script সাম)

1. used with any bilateral body part, hands, eyes, etc. and also tires

References

• van Breugel, Seino. 2015. Atong-English dictionary, second edition. Available online: https://www.academia.edu/487044/Atong_English_Dictionary.

Charrua

Numeral

sam

1. two

References

• El último charrúa: de Salsipuedes a la actualidad (1996)
• Idioma español y habla criolla: Charrúas y vilelas (1968)
• Čestmír Loukotka, ‎Johannes Wilbert (editor), Classification of South American Indian Languages (1968, Los Angeles: Latin American Studies Center, University of California), page(s) 62

Chuukese

Noun

sam

1. father

Garo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sam/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Bodo-Garo *sam¹ (“grass”). Related to Atong (India) sam.

Noun

sam

1. grass; herb
2. medicine
3. curry

Etymology 2

Classifier

sam

1. used with any bilateral body part, hands, eyes, etc.

Further reading

• Burling, R. (2003), The Language of the Modhupur Mandi (Garo) Vol. II: The Lexicon‎^[3], Bangladesh: University of Michigan, page 275

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions of sam – see 三 (“three; the other woman; the other man; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 三).

For pronunciation and definitions of sam – see 衫 (“unlined garment; shirt; top; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 衫).

For pronunciation and definitions of sam – see 舢. (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 舢).

For pronunciation and definitions of sam – see 參 (“Three Stars mansion; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 參).

Lhao Vo

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kV-sum (“three”). Cognate with Burmese သုံး (sum:, “three”).

Numeral

sam

1. three

References

• Dr. Ola Hanson, A Dictionary of the Kachin Language (1906).

Livonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *samo. Cognate with Estonian samm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɑˀm/, [ˈsɑˀm]

Noun

sa’m

1. step, pace

Declension

Declension of sa’m (84)

	singular (ikšlu’g)	plural (pǟgiņlu’g)
nominative (nominatīv)	sa’m	samūd
genitive (genitīv)	sa’m	samūd
partitive (partitīv)	sa’mtõ	samīdi
dative (datīv)	sa’mmõn	samūdõn
instrumental (instrumentāl)	sa’mkõks	samūdõks
illative (illatīv)	sa’mmõ	samīž
inessive (inesīv)	sa’msõ	sa’mši
elative (elatīv)	sa’mstõ	sa’mšti

References

• Tiit-Rein Viitso; Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), “sa’m”, in Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz [Livonian-Estonian-Latvian Dictionary]‎^[4] (in Estonian and Latvian), Tartu, Rīga: Tartu Ülikool, Latviešu valodas aģentūra

Macanese

Verb

sam

1. alternative form of sâm

Maltese

Root
s-w-m
3 terms

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Semitic

Arabic صامَ (ṣāma)

Maltese sam

Inherited from Arabic صامَ (ṣāma).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /saːm/
• Rhymes: -aːm

Verb

sam (imperfect jsum, active participle sajjem, verbal noun sawm)

1. to fast

Conjugation

Conjugation of sam (Form I)

positive forms
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
perfect	m	somt	somt	sam	somna	somtu	samu
	f			samet
imperfect	m	nsum	ssum	jsum	nsumu	ssumu	jsumu
	f			ssum
imperative			sum			sumu

Mizo

Etymology 1

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *sham, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *(t)sam.

Noun

sam

1. hair (of the head)
2. antenna (of insects)

Etymology 2

Adjective

sam

1. easy, simple

Nga La

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *sham, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *(t)sam.

Noun

sam

1. hair (of the head)

References

• Matu (Chin) Dictionary by Ropna Saruum, Matupi 2007

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɑm/
• Rhymes: -ɑm

Conjunction

sam

1. whether, or

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “sam”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *samos (“summer”) (compare Welsh haf), from Proto-Indo-European *sm̥-h₂-ó- (compare Old English sumor, Old Armenian ամառն (amaṙn)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsaβ̃/

Noun

sam m (genitive unattested, no plural)

1. summer

Inflection

Masculine o-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	sam	—	—
vocative	saim	—	—
accusative	samN	—	—
genitive	saimL	—	—
dative	samL	—	—

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Synonyms

• samrad

Mutation

Mutation of sam

radical	lenition	nasalization
sam	ṡam	sam

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 sam”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Norse

Verb

sam

1. second-person singular imperative of sama

Old Polish

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sem-

Proto-Indo-European *somHós

Proto-Slavic *samъ

Old Polish sam

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *samъ. First attested in the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /saːm/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /sɒm/

Pronoun

sam

1. alone, by oneself, without company
2. myself, yourself, himself, etc. (emphatic determiner, used similarly to "no other than" or "the very", as in "I myself")
3. The meaning of this term is uncertain.

Descendants

• Polish: sam
• Silesian: sōm

Etymology 2

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe

Proto-Indo-European *ís

Proto-Indo-European *ḱís

Proto-Balto-Slavic *śís

Proto-Slavic *sь

Proto-Slavic *-mo

Proto-Slavic *sěmo

Old Polish sam

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *sěmo. First attested in the 14th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (10^th–15^th CE) /sam/
• IPA^(key): (15^th CE) /sam/

Adverb

sam

1. here; hither

Descendants

• Polish: siam
• Silesian: sam

References

• Bożena Sieradzka-Baziur, et al., editors (2011–2015), “1. sam”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN
• Bożena Sieradzka-Baziur, et al., editors (2011–2015), “2. sam”, in Słownik pojęciowy języka staropolskiego [Conceptual Dictionary of Old Polish] (in Polish), Kraków: IJP PAN, →ISBN

Palula

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sam/

Adverb

sam (Perso-Arabic spelling سم)

1. equally

References

• Henrik Liljegren; Naseem Haider (2011), “sam”, in Palula Vocabulary (FLI Language and Culture Series; 7)‎^[5], Islamabad, Pakistan: Forum for Language Initiatives, →ISBN

Polish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈsam/

• (Middle Polish) IPA^(key): /ˈsam/
• (Greater Poland):
  • (Kuyavia) IPA^(key): [ˈsam]
  • (Central Greater Poland) IPA^(key): [ˈsam]
• (Masovia):
  • (Łowicz) IPA^(key): [ˈsam]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -am
• Syllabification: sam

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *sem-

Proto-Indo-European *somHós

Proto-Slavic *samъ

Old Polish sam

Polish sam

Inherited from Old Polish sam.

Adjective

sam (not generally comparable, comparative bardziej sam, superlative najbardziej sam, no derived adverb)

1. alone (oneself without company)
2. alone (oneself without help)

Adverb

sam (not generally comparable, comparative bardziej sam, superlative najbardziej sam)

1. alone, by oneself, without company

   Synonyms: osobno, samodzielnie

2. (Middle Polish or dialectal, Central Greater Poland, Kuyavia, Łowicz, Skaratki, Rogóźno, Traby, Lisiewice) here (at this place)

   Alternative forms: (dialectal) sa, (dialectal) samoj

   Synonyms: tu, tutaj

Particle

sam

1. emphatic determiner, used similarly to "no other than" or "the very", as in "I myself"; oneself

   Przygotowując intrygę przeciwko szefowi, pani Magdalena kazała swojej córce ubrać się skromnie, a sama założyła sukienkę z głębokim dekoltem.

   Preparing the intrigue against the boss, Ms. Magdalena told her daughter to dress modestly, while she herself put on a dress with a deep neckline.

   Poszedł do samego końca.

   He went to the very end.

2. by oneself, alone (by one's own volition or power, without outside help or encouragement)

Declension

Declension of sam (irregular)

singular					plural
	masculine animate	masculine inanimate	feminine	neuter	virile (= masculine personal)	non-virile
nominative/vocative	sam		sama	samo	sami	same
genitive	samego		samej	samego	samych
dative	samemu		samej	samemu	samym
accusative	samego	sam	samą	samo	samych	same
instrumental	samym		samą	samym	samymi
locative	samym		samej	samym	samych

Alternative forms

• samuj (Eastern Lublin, Krynice and Kryniczki)

Derived terms

adjectives

• sam przez się
• sam w sobie
• sam z siebie
• taki sam
• ten sam
• tenże sam

adverbs

• sam na sam
• tak samo

nouns

• nie sama

particles

• tym samym

proverbs

• głupich nie sieją, sami się rodzą

Related terms

adjectives

• samotniczy
• samotny

adverb

• samotniczo
• samotnie

nouns

• samota
• samotnica
• samotnictwo
• samotniczka
• samotnik
• samotność

verbs

• osamotniać impf
• osamotnić pf

Etymology 2

Clipping of sklep samoobsługowy.

Alternative forms

• SAM

Noun

sam m inan

1. (colloquial) self-service shop

   Synonym: sklep samoobsługowy

Declension

Declension of sam

	singular	plural
nominative	sam	samy
genitive	samu	samów
dative	samowi	samom
accusative	sam	samy
instrumental	samem	samami
locative	samie	samach
vocative	samie	samy

Trivia

According to Słownik frekwencyjny polszczyzny współczesnej (1990), sam is one of the most used words in Polish, appearing 159 times in scientific texts, 70 times in news, 120 times in essays, 231 times in fiction, and 302 times in plays, each out of a corpus of 100,000 words, totaling 882 times, making it the 48th most common word in a corpus of 500,000 words.

Further reading

• “sam”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[6] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “sam”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[7] (in Polish)
• “SAM_I”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 22 February 2023
• “SAM_II”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 22 February 2023
• Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814), “sam”, in Słownik języka polskiego
• Aleksander Zdanowicz (1861), “sam”, in Słownik języka polskiego, Wilno 1861
• J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1900), “sam”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 1, Warsaw, page 11
• sam in Narodowy Fotokorpus Języka Polskiego
• Stanisław Ciszewski (1916), “sam”, in “Przyczynek do słownika gwary wielkopolskiej”, in Prace Filologiczne‎^[8] (in Polish), volume 8, z. 1, Warsaw: skł. gł. w Księgarni E. Wende i Ska, page 98
• Władysław Matlakowski (1892), “sam”, in Słownik wyrazów ludowych zebranych w Czerskiem i na Kujawach (in Polish), Kraków: nakł. Akademii Umiejętności; Drukarnia Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego pod zarządem A. M. Kosterkiewicza, page 16
• Halina Świderska (1929), “sam”, in Dialekt Księstwa Łowickiego (in Polish), Warsaw, →ISBN, page 131

Rohingya

Alternative forms

• 𐴏𐴝𐴔 (sam) — Hanifi spelling

Etymology

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

Noun

sam (Hanifi spelling 𐴏𐴝𐴔)

1. skin

   Synonym: samra

Romani

Verb

sam

1. first-person plural present indicative of si

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *samъ, from Proto-Indo-European *somHós.

Adjective

sȃm (Cyrillic spelling са̑м, definite sȃmī)

1. alone, sole
2. unaided, single-handed
3. absolute, very, mere, unmixed
4. solitary, secluded

Declension

indefinite forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		sam	sama	samo
genitive		sama	same	sama
dative		samu	samoj	samu
accusative	inanimate animate	sam sama	samu	samo
vocative		sam	sama	samo
locative		samu	samoj	samu
instrumental		samim	samom	samim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		sami	same	sama
genitive		samih	samih	samih
dative		samim(a)	samim(a)	samim(a)
accusative		same	same	sama
vocative		sami	same	sama
locative		samim(a)	samim(a)	samim(a)
instrumental		samim(a)	samim(a)	samim(a)

definite forms

singular		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		sami	sama	samo
genitive		samog(a)	same	samog(a)
dative		samom(u/e)	samoj	samom(u/e)
accusative	inanimate animate	sami samog(a)	samu	samo
vocative		sami	sama	samo
locative		samom(e/u)	samoj	samom(e/u)
instrumental		samim	samom	samim
plural		masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative		sami	same	sama
genitive		samih	samih	samih
dative		samim(a)	samim(a)	samim(a)
accusative		same	same	sama
vocative		sami	same	sama
locative		samim(a)	samim(a)	samim(a)
instrumental		samim(a)	samim(a)	samim(a)

Alternative forms

• sȃm

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *(j)esmь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *esmi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi.

Verb

sȁm (Cyrillic spelling са̏м)

1. first-person singular present tense enclitic form of biti.

   Tu sam. — I'm here.

Silesian

Alternative forms

• sã

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱe

Proto-Indo-European *ís

Proto-Indo-European *ḱís

Proto-Balto-Slavic *śís

Proto-Slavic *sь

Proto-Slavic *-mo

Proto-Slavic *sěmo

Old Polish sam

Silesian sam

Inherited from Old Polish sam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈsam/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -am
• Syllabification: sam

Pronoun

sam

1. here

   Synonym: tukej

2. hither

Further reading

• sam in silling.org

Slovene

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *samъ, from Proto-Indo-European *somHós. First attested in the 10th century.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sáːm/

Adjective

sȃm (not comparable)

1. alone, sole
2. unaided, single-handed, by oneself

Declension

The diacritics used in this section of the entry are non-tonal. If you are a native tonal speaker, please help by adding the tonal marks.

Hard
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nom. sing.	sám	sáma	sámo
singular
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	sám ind sámi def	sáma	sámo
genitive	sámega	sáme	sámega
dative	sámemu	sámi	sámemu
accusative	nominativeinan or genitiveanim	sámo	sámo
locative	sámem	sámi	sámem
instrumental	sámim	sámo	sámim
dual
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	sáma	sámi	sámi
genitive	sámih	sámih	sámih
dative	sámima	sámima	sámima
accusative	sáma	sámi	sámi
locative	sámih	sámih	sámih
instrumental	sámima	sámima	sámima
plural
	masculine	feminine	neuter
nominative	sámi	sáme	sáma
genitive	sámih	sámih	sámih
dative	sámim	sámim	sámim
accusative	sáme	sáme	sáma
locative	sámih	sámih	sámih
instrumental	sámimi	sámimi	sámimi

Derived terms

• samoglásnik
• samomòr
• samoróg
• sámost
• samostálnik
• samostán

Further reading

• “sam”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU, portal Fran
• “sam”, in Termania, Amebis
• See also the general references

Swedish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sam/

Verb

sam

1. past indicative of simma

Anagrams

• mas

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [saːm˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʂaːm˧˧] ~ [saːm˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʂaːm˧˧] ~ [saːm˧˧]

Etymology 1

Highly unlikely due to irregular sound change. Possibly from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kt₁aam (“crab”) (Norman & Mei, 1976; mistakenly glossed as "king crab"). However, Shorto (2006) includes no such derivation. Compare Vietnamese đam (“field crab”) and Lingao sam¹ (“horseshoe crab”).

Noun

(classifier con) sam • (杉, 衫, 𧏰, 𧓰, 𪓫)

1. a horseshoe crab

   đuôi sam ― a horseshoe crab's tail; a braid/plait

See also

• so

• sam so

Etymology 2

Noun

(classifier cây) sam • (蔘)

1. common purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

   Synonym: rau sam

Ye'kwana

Alternative forms

• samm

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sam]

Ideophone

sam

1. zooming
2. (of food) stinging, biting

References

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011), “samm”, in Grammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[9], Lyon, page 166

Zhuang

Zhuang cardinal numbers

<  2	3	4  >
Cardinal : sam

Etymology

From Proto-Tai *saːm (“three”), from Middle Chinese 三 (MC sam, “three”). Cognate with Thai สาม (sǎam), Northern Thai ᩈᩣ᩠ᨾ, Lao ສາມ (sām), Lü ᦉᦱᧄ (ṡaam), Tai Dam ꪎꪱꪣ, Shan သၢမ် (sǎam), Tai Nüa ᥔᥣᥛᥴ (sáam), Ahom 𑜏𑜪 (saṃ), Bouyei saaml.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /θaːm˨˦/
• Tone numbers: sam¹
• Hyphenation: sam

Numeral

sam (1957–1982 spelling sam)

1. three

Zou

Etymology

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *sʰam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sʌ́m]
• Hyphenation: sam

Noun

sám

1. hair

Derived terms

• sámsì
• sámvom

References

• Philip Thangliènmâng (2010), Minimal dictionary and Self-tutor Functional Grammar in Zo-English-Hindi, New Delhi: Zoculsin, →ISBN, page 22
• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013), A Descriptive Grammar of Zou (PhD thesis), Canchipur: Manipur University, page 48