entry
some
/sʌm/An unspecified amount, number, or person
From Proto-Indo-European sem (one).
from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, whole”). Cognate Scots sum, some (“some”), North Frisian som, sam, säm (“some”),...
from Old English sum "some, a, a certain one, something, a certain quantity; a certain indefinite number" (as in some...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English sum "some, a, a certain one, something, a certain quantity; a certain indefinite number" (as in some...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English sum "some, a, a certain one, something, a certain quantity; a certain indefinite number" (as in some...
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, whole”). Cognate Scots sum, some (“some”), North Frisian som, sam, säm (“some”),...
from Old English sum "some, a, a certain one, something, a certain quantity; a certain indefinite number" (as in some...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English sum "some, a, a certain one, something, a certain quantity; a certain indefinite number" (as in some...
+1 more sourcefrom Old English sum "some, a, a certain one, something, a certain quantity; a certain indefinite number" (as in some...
+1 more sourceA tiny word like “some” is carrying an astonishingly old idea: *sem- meant “one” or “whole,” and also “together.” From that same family came “same,” “similar,” “assemble,” and even “single”—words that still orbit the notion of unity. By the time Old English scribes were writing sum, around the first millennium, it could point to a person, a quantity, or one item among several: “some of four” was essentially “one out of four.” English held on to the word more tightly than several of its Germanic cousins, while compounds such as “somebody” and “something” turned an indefinite speck into a person or a thing. So whenever you say “some,” you are quietly choosing a piece of a whole—the linguistic equivalent of reaching into a bag without looking.
The Story
A tiny word like “some” is carrying an astonishingly old idea: *sem- meant “one” or “whole,” and also “together.” From that same family came “same,” “similar,” “assemble,” and even “single”—words that still orbit the notion of unity. By the time Old English scribes were writing sum, around the first millennium, it could point to a person, a quantity, or one item among several: “some of four” was essentially “one out of four.” English held on to the word more tightly than several of its Germanic cousins, while compounds such as “somebody” and “something” turned an indefinite speck into a person or a thing. So whenever you say “some,” you are quietly choosing a piece of a whole—the linguistic equivalent of reaching into a bag without looking.
Modern Usage
SoMe is an abbreviation for social media.
Kin & Kindred
From 'sem'·one, whole; together
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary