am

[ am; unstressed uh m, m ]

/ æm; unstressed əm, m /

verb

1st person singular present indicative of be.

Nearby words

alymphocytosis, alymphoplasia, alyson, alyssum, alzheimer's disease, am, am-dram, am., am/fm, ama, amab

Origin of am

before 900; Middle English; Old English am, eam, eom; cognate with Gothic im, Old Norse, Armenian em, Old Irish am, Greek eimí, Hittite, early Lithuanian esmi, OCS yesmĭ, Albanian jam, Sanskrit asmi < Indo-European *Hes- be + *-m 1st person singular + *-i now; cf. is

Definition for am (2 of 9)

Am

Symbol, Chemistry.

americium.

Definition for am (3 of 9)

AM

Electronics. amplitude modulation: a method of impressing a signal on a radio carrier wave by varying its amplitude.

Radio. a system of broadcasting by means of amplitude modulation.

of, relating to, or utilizing such a system.Compare FM

Asian male.

Origin of AM

First recorded in 1935–40

Definition for am (4 of 9)

be

[ bee; unstressed bee, bi ]

/ bi; unstressed bi, bɪ /

verb (used without object), present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

to exist or live: Shakespeare's “To be or not to be” is the ultimate question.

to take place; happen; occur: The wedding was last week.

to occupy a place or position: The book is on the table.

to continue or remain as before: Let things be.

to belong; attend; befall: May good fortune be with you.

(used as a copula to connect the subject with its predicate adjective, or predicate nominative, in order to describe, identify, or amplify the subject): Martha is tall. John is president. This is she.

(used as a copula to introduce or form interrogative or imperative sentences): Is that right? Be quiet! Don't be facetious.

auxiliary verb, present singular 1st person am, 2nd are or (Archaic) art, 3rd is, present plural are; past singular 1st person was, 2nd were or (Archaic) wast or wert, 3rd was, past plural were; present subjunctive be; past subjunctive singular 1st person were, 2nd were or (Archaic) wert, 3rd were; past subjunctive plural were; past participle been; present participle be·ing.

(used with the present participle of another verb to form the progressive tense): I am waiting.

(used with the present participle or infinitive of the principal verb to indicate future action): She is visiting there next week. He is to see me today.

(used with the past participle of another verb to form the passive voice): The date was fixed. It must be done.

(used in archaic or literary constructions with some intransitive verbs to form the perfect tense): He is come. Agamemnon to the wars is gone.

Origin of be

before 900; Middle English been, Old English bēon (bēo- (akin to Old Frisian, Old High German bim, German bin, Old Saxon bium, biom (I) am, Old English, Old High German, Old Saxon būan, Old Norse būa reside, Latin fuī (I) have been, Greek phy- grow, become, Old Irish boí (he) was, Sanskrit bhávati (he) becomes, is, Lithuanian búti to be, OCS byti, Persian būd was)) + -n infinitive suffix. See am, is, are¹, was, were

Can be confusedbe bee

Usage note

See me.

Definition for am (5 of 9)

A and M

or A&M

Agricultural and Mechanical (college): Texas A and M.

Definition for am (6 of 9)

Am.

America.

American.

Definition for am (7 of 9)

A/m

ampere per meter.

Definition for am (8 of 9)

a.m.

before noon.

the period from midnight to noon, especially the period of daylight prior to noon: Shall we meet Saturday a.m.?

a morning newspaper, sometimes issued shortly before midnight.

Compare p.m.

Origin of a.m.

From the Latin word ante merīdiem

Usage note

The abbreviation a.m. for Latin ante meridiem, meaning “before noon,” refers to the period from midnight until noon. One minute before noon is 11:59 a.m. One minute after noon is 12:01 p.m. Many people distinguish between noon and midnight by saying 12 noon and 12 midnight. Expressions combining a.m. with morning ( 6 a.m. in the morning ) and p.m. with afternoon, evening, or night ( 9 p.m. at night ) are redundant and occur most often in casual speech and writing. Both a.m. and p.m. sometimes appear in capital letters, especially in printed matter.

Definition for am (9 of 9)

A.M.

a.m.

Master of Arts.

Origin of A.M.

From the Latin word Artium Magister

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for am (1 of 13)

am

verb (æm, unstressed əm)

(used with I) a form of the present tense (indicative mood) of be 1

Word Origin for am

Old English eam; related to Old Norse em, Gothic im, Old High German bim, Latin sum, Greek eimi, Sanskrit asmi

British Dictionary definitions for am (2 of 13)

am

abbreviation for

See AM (def. 5)

See a.m.

British Dictionary definitions for am (3 of 13)

am

the internet domain name for

Armenia

British Dictionary definitions for am (4 of 13)

Am

the chemical symbol for

americium

British Dictionary definitions for am (5 of 13)

AM

abbreviation for

associate member

Assembly Member (of the National Assembly of Wales)

Albert Medal

US Master of Arts

Also: am amplitude modulation

See a.m.

Member of the Order of Australia

Armenia (international car registration)

British Dictionary definitions for am (6 of 13)

Am.

abbreviation for

America(n)

British Dictionary definitions for am (7 of 13)

A/M

abbreviation for (in Canada)

Air Marshal

British Dictionary definitions for am (8 of 13)

Be

the chemical symbol for

beryllium

British Dictionary definitions for am (9 of 13)

BE

abbreviation for

bill of exchange

(in the US) Board of Education

Bachelor of Education

Bachelor of Engineering

British Dictionary definitions for am (10 of 13)

Bé

abbreviation for

Baumé

British Dictionary definitions for am (11 of 13)

a.m.

A.M., am or AM

abbreviation for (indicating the time period from midnight to midday)

ante meridiemCompare p.m.

Word Origin for a.m.

Latin: before noon

British Dictionary definitions for am (12 of 13)

be

/ (biː, unstressed bɪ) /

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

to have presence in the realm of perceived reality; exist; liveI think, therefore I am; not all that is can be understood

(used in the perfect or past perfect tenses only) to pay a visit; gohave you been to Spain?

to take place; occurmy birthday was last Thursday

(copula) used as a linking verb between the subject of a sentence and its noun or adjective complement or complementing phrase. In this case be expresses the relationship of either essential or incidental equivalence or identity (John is a man; John is a musician) or specifies an essential or incidental attribute (honey is sweet; Susan is angry). It is also used with an adverbial complement to indicate a relationship of location in space or time (Bill is at the office; the dance is on Saturday)

(takes a present participle) forms the progressive present tensethe man is running

(takes a past participle) forms the passive voice of all transitive verbs and (archaically) certain intransitive onesa good film is being shown on television tonight; I am done

(takes an infinitive) expresses intention, expectation, supposition, or obligationthe president is to arrive at 9.30; you are not to leave before I say so

(takes a past participle) forms the perfect or past perfect tense of certain intransitive verbs of motion, such as go or comethe last train is gone

be that as it may the facts concerning (something) are of no importance

Word Origin for be

Old English bēon; related to Old High German bim am, Latin fui I have been, Greek phuein to bring forth, Sanskrit bhavati he is

British Dictionary definitions for am (13 of 13)

be

the internet domain name for

Belgium

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for am (1 of 4)

am

Old English eom "to be, to remain," (Mercian eam, Northumbrian am), from PIE *esmi- (cf. Old Norse emi, Gothic im, Hittite esmi, Old Church Slavonic jesmi, Lithuanian esmi), from root *es-, the S-ROOT, which also yielded Greek esti-, Latin est, Sanskrit as-, and German ist.

In Old English it existed only in present tense, all other forms being expressed in the W-BASE (see were, was). This cooperative verb is sometimes referred to by linguists as *es-*wes-. Until the distinction broke down 13c., *es-*wes- tended to express "existence," with beon meaning something closer to "come to be" (see be).

Old English am had two plural forms: 1. sind/sindon, sie and 2. earon/aron The s- form (also used in the subjunctive) fell from use in English in the early 13c. (though it continues in German sind, the 3rd person plural of "to be") and was replaced by forms of be, but aron (aren, arn, are, from Proto-Germanic *ar-, probably a variant of PIE root *es-) continued, and as am and be merged it encroached on some uses that previously had belonged to be. By the early 1500s it had established its place in standard English. Art became archaic in the 1800s.

Word Origin and History for am (1 of 4)

a.m.

in hours, 1762, abbreviation of Latin ante meridiem "before noon."

Word Origin and History for am (2 of 4)

a.m.

also AM, type of radio wave broadcast; see amplitude.

Word Origin and History for am (3 of 4)

be

Old English beon, beom, bion "be, exist, come to be, become, happen," from Proto-Germanic *biju- "I am, I will be." This "b-root" is from PIE root *bheue- "to be, exist, grow, come into being," and in addition to the words in English it yielded German present first and second person singular (bin, bist, from Old High German bim "I am," bist "thou art"), Latin perfective tenses of esse (fui "I was," etc.), Old Church Slavonic byti "be," Greek phu- "become," Old Irish bi'u "I am," Lithuanian bu'ti "to be," Russian byt' "to be," etc. It also is behind Sanskrit bhavah "becoming," bhavati "becomes, happens," bhumih "earth, world."

The modern verb to be in its entirety represents the merger of two once-distinct verbs, the "b-root" represented by be and the am/was verb, which was itself a conglomerate. Roger Lass ("Old English") describes the verb as "a collection of semantically related paradigm fragments," while Weekley calls it "an accidental conglomeration from the different Old English dial[ect]s." It is the most irregular verb in Modern English and the most common. Collective in all Germanic languages, it has eight different forms in Modern English:

BE (infinitive, subjunctive, imperative)
AM (present 1st person singular)
ARE (present 2nd person singular and all plural)
IS (present 3rd person singular)
WAS (past 1st and 3rd persons singular)
WERE (past 2nd person singular, all plural; subjunctive)
BEING (progressive & present participle; gerund)
BEEN (perfect participle).

The paradigm in Old English was:

	SING.	PL.
1st pres.	ic eom ic beo	we sind(on) we beoð
2nd pres.	þu eart þu bist	ge sind(on) ge beoð
3rd pres.	he is he bið	hie sind(on) hie beoð
1st pret.	ic wæs	we wæron
2nd pret.	þu wære	ge waeron
3rd pret.	heo wæs	hie wæron
1st pret. subj.	ic wære	we wæren
2nd pret. subj.	þu wære	ge wæren
3rd pret. subj.	Egcferð wære	hie wæren

The "b-root" had no past tense in Old English, but often served as future tense of am/was. In 13c. it took the place of the infinitive, participle and imperative forms of am/was. Later its plural forms (we beth, ye ben, they be) became standard in Middle English and it made inroads into the singular (I be, thou beest, he beth), but forms of are claimed this turf in the 1500s and replaced be in the plural. For the origin and evolution of the am/was branches of this tangle, see am and was.

That but this blow Might be the be all, and the end all. ["Macbeth" I.vii.5]

Medicine definitions for am (1 of 2)

Am

The symbol for the elementamericium

Medicine definitions for am (2 of 2)

Be

The symbol for the elementberyllium

Science definitions for am (1 of 3)

Am

The symbol for americium.

Science definitions for am (2 of 3)

AM

Abbreviation of amplitude modulation

Science definitions for am (3 of 3)

Be

The symbol for beryllium.

Idioms and Phrases with am

be

In addition to the idioms beginning with be

be a credit to
be along
be big on
be bound to
be busted
bed and board
bed and breakfast
bed of roses
be down
bee in one's bonnet
been around
been had
been there, done that
been to the wars
beginning of the end, the
begin to see daylight
begin to see the light
begin with
beg off
beg the question
beg to differ
be had
be in on
be into
bell the cat, who will
be my guest
bend one's elbow
bend over backwards
bend someone's ear
be off
be on
be oneself
be on to
beside oneself
beside the point
be that as it may
be the death of
be the end of one
be the making of

also see:

let be

am

verb

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of am

Definition for am (2 of 9)

Am

Symbol, Chemistry.

Definition for am (3 of 9)

AM

Origin of AM

Definition for am (4 of 9)

be

Origin of be

Usage note

Definition for am (5 of 9)

A and M

or A&M

Definition for am (6 of 9)

Am.

Definition for am (7 of 9)

A/m

Definition for am (8 of 9)

a.m.

Origin of a.m.

Usage note

Definition for am (9 of 9)

A.M.

Origin of A.M.

British Dictionary definitions for am (1 of 13)

am

verb (æm, unstressed əm)

Word Origin for am

British Dictionary definitions for am (2 of 13)

am

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (3 of 13)

am

the internet domain name for

British Dictionary definitions for am (4 of 13)

Am

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for am (5 of 13)

AM

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (6 of 13)

Am.

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (7 of 13)

A/M

abbreviation for (in Canada)

British Dictionary definitions for am (8 of 13)

Be

the chemical symbol for

British Dictionary definitions for am (9 of 13)

BE

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (10 of 13)

Bé

abbreviation for

British Dictionary definitions for am (11 of 13)

a.m.

A.M., am or AM

abbreviation for (indicating the time period from midnight to midday)

Word Origin for a.m.

British Dictionary definitions for am (12 of 13)

be

verb present singular 1st person am; 2nd person are; 3rd person is; present plural are; past singular 1st person was; 2nd person were; 3rd person was; past plural were; present participle being or past participle been (intr)

Word Origin for be

British Dictionary definitions for am (13 of 13)

be

the internet domain name for

Word Origin and History for am (1 of 4)

am

Word Origin and History for am (1 of 4)

a.m.

Word Origin and History for am (2 of 4)

a.m.

Word Origin and History for am (3 of 4)