*-umô
Runic: ᚢᛗᛟ Pronunciation: /u.mɔːː/suffix · forms adjectives · an/īn-stem
Function
- forms a small, mostly lexicalized class of weak adjectives with comparative, superlative, or ordinal-spatial meaning
- in combination with *-istaz, forms reinforced superlatives
Etymology
From pre-Germanic *-umōn-, probably continuing an Indo-European ordinal/spatial superlative formation in *-m̥-o- that was inflected in Proto-Germanic as a weak adjective/n-stem. The syllabic *m̥ may ultimately have been abstracted from ordinal formations such as those built to *septḿ̥ > *septm̥mós and *deḱm̥ > *deḱm̥mós (Luján 2019: 305–42). Kroonen (2013: s.vv. fruman-, aiþma-) instead reconstructs a laryngealized preform *-mH-on-/*-m̥h₂-on- from PIE root *meh₂-, the same root in PGmc *maizô(Kroonen 2013: s.v. maizan-). While many of the other IE languages incorporated this suffix into their comparative and superlative formations, PGmc only retained it in a few fossilized formations. (Fulk 2018: 219–20; Ringe 2017: 318).
Paradigm
Strong declension
| Case | Sg. Masc. | Sg. Fem. | Sg. Neut. | Pl. Masc. | Pl. Fem. | Pl. Neut. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Acc. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Gen. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Dat. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Inst. | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Weak declension
| Case | Sg. Masc. | Sg. Fem. | Sg. Neut. | Pl. Masc. | Pl. Fem. | Pl. Neut. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nom. | -umô | -umį̄ | -umô | -umaniz | -umīniz | -umōnō |
| Acc. | -umanų | -umīnų | -umô | -umanunz | -umīnunz | -umōnō |
| Gen. | -uminiz | -umīniz | -uminiz | -umanǫ̂ | -umīnǫ̂ | -umanǫ̂ |
| Dat. | -umini | -umīni | -umini | -umammaz | -umīmaz | -umammaz |
| Inst. | -uminē | -umīnē | -uminē | -umammiz | -umīmiz | -umammiz |
Descendants
-
*-umō (Proto-West Germanic)
-
-uma, -ema, -ma (Old English)
- -most (English)
-
-uma, -ema, -ma (Old English)
- -𐌿𐌼𐌰 (-uma) (Gothic)