Where does “'um” come from?
'um (English) comes from English 'em, from English hem, from Middle English hem, from Old English hem, from Proto-West Germanic hammjan, from Proto-Germanic hamjaną, from Proto-Indo-European kem- — to press together; to hinder, to hamper; to...
'um (English): Alternative form of 'em
Ancestry of “'um”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | 'em | Them |
| 2 | English | hem | Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a... |
| 3 | Middle English | hem | Third-person plural accusative pronoun: them;... |
| 4 | Old English | hem | — |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | hammjan | To press; pinch; To obstruct; restrict; restrain;... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hamjaną | To press; pinch; To obstruct; restrict; restrain;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kem- | to press together; to hinder, to hamper; to... |