somepron.adj.¹adv.n.¹

Brit.

/sʌm/,

/s(ə)m/, U.S.

/səm/

Forms: Old English–1500s, 1800s dialect sum (1800s dialect zum), Middle English summ, Middle English, 1500s Scottish sume, summe; Middle English soumme, Middle English soume, Middle English (1800s dialect) soom; Middle English, 1600s, 1800s dialect som (Middle English zom, 1600s dialect z'om), Middle English somm, somp; Middle English–1500s somme, Middle English– some (Middle English, 1800s dialect zome).

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Common Germanic: Old English sum, = Old Frisian sum (North Frisian som), Middle Dutch som, zom (West Flemish som, zom), Old Saxon sum (Middle Low German sum, som), Old High German and Middle High German sum (German dialect sum, som, söm), Old Norse sumr (Icelandic sumur, Norwegian sum; Middle Swedish sum, som, Swedish somt neuter, Danish somme plural), Gothic sums; the stem is also found in Greek ἁμο- (as ἁμόθεν from some place) and Sanskrit sama any, every. The word has had greater currency in English than in the other Germanic languages, in some of which it is now restricted to dialect use, or represented only by derivatives or compounds, as West Frisian sommige, somlike, Dutch sommige (also somtiids, somwijlen sometimes), Low German sömige (German dialect summige).

A. pron.For all and some, whole and some, see all adj., pron., n., adv., and conj. Phrases 5, whole adj.

I. In singular uses.

†a. One or other of a number of persons; someone, somebody. In later use also in some or other. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

(a)

OE Riddle 14 15 Hwilum folcwigan on wicge wegað, þonne ic winde sceal sincfag swelgan of sumes bosme.

OE Beowulf 1432 Sumne Geata leod of flanbogan feores getwæfde.

c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 37 Summes curteisie is iturnt hire to uuel.

c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 131 In þis place sum is Þat wolde telle þe kinge fore, and maken him mi fo.

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v. x Whan somme good cometh to somme, it ought not to be reffused.

1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xxiii. 107 Upon one hande some hath thombes twayne; And other also somtyme armes thre.

1579 T. Lodge Protogenes 33 I feare me some will blushe that readeth this, if he be bitten.

1729 G. Adams tr. Sophocles Antigone iii. i, in tr. Sophocles Trag. II. 39 Therefore..despise he [Antigone], and suffer the Girl to marry some among the Dead.

(b)1631 P. Heylyn Hist. St. George 113 I wonder some or other hath not resolu'd the doubt.1664 D. Fleming in Extracts State Papers (Friends' Hist. Soc.) (1912) 3rd Ser. 213 I am halfe of opinion, that some or other hath abused him in this Letter.1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 34 Word, by some or other could not but be carried to the good King Shaddai.

†b. Const. of (or gen. plural). Also of things. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xviii. §2 He cyðde on sumre his boca ðætte þa get Romana nama ne come ofer þa muntas.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xiii. 25 Þa com his feonda sum & ofer-seow hit mid coccele.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) viii. 28 Sume [secgað] summe of þam witegum.

c1100 Twelfth Cent. Hom. 134 Gif nu eower sum,..smeað hwæt god beo.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 15 Vor onneaþe yualþ þet me ne ualþ in-to þe þrote of zome of þe zeue heauedes.

1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 46 The Cutteries..have six and thirty Casts among themselves, from some of which none of them but is descended.

1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 71 All such sins being easily reducible to some of the former three.

c. In the phrase some of these (..) days, some day soon; before very long.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > relative time > different time > [adverb] > at some future time or one day

yeteOE

hereafter1154

hereafterwardc1386

sometimec1386

oncea1393

whiloma1400

rather or latera1450

one of these daysa1470

one day1477

umquhile1489

in timea1500

with time?1531

sooner or later1577

odd shortly1681

some summer's day1697

first or last1700

some of these (‥) days1831

someday1898

down the road (also track)1924

1831 in W. I. Knapp Life G. Borrow (1899) I. 142 Young Simpson will be wanting an able assistant some of these days.

1848 J. H. Newman Loss & Gain i. xiv. 107 ‘We shall have you a papist some of these fine days,’ said he.

1851 G. Borrow Lavengro lxxiii I should not be surprised if he were to come back some of these days.

†2. some…, some, one…, another. (Cf. A. 7.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > contrariety [phrase] > some... whereas some others...

some…, somec888

some…, others (other)c950

some…(other) some1377

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiii. §2 Þonne lufað sum ðæt, sum elles hwæt.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxv. 15 He sealde..sumum twa [pund], sumum an.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 4 For sum is strong. sum vn strong.

a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 834 Sum was king and sum kumeling.

1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 14 For som schal singe and som schal syke.

c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 2167 He moot be deed,..Som in his bed, som in the depe see.

†3. With ordinal numbers: One of (or with) a specified number. Obsolete.For the use of the ordinal cf. German selbdritte, -vierte, etc. In Old English the genitive plural of the cardinal was employed, as syxa, eahta, twelfa sum: for the later history of this see -some suffix².

ΚΠ

a1225 Juliana 79 And te sea sencte him on his þrituðe sum ant þer to ȝet fowre.

c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 817 He busked and made him ȝare Hi[m] fiftend som of kniȝt.

a1400 Sir Beues 203 Him self was boute þe ferþe some Toward þat ferd.

c1425 Eng. Conq. Irel. 32 Heruy of Mountmorthy, that to ham was ycome, hym thrydsome [v.r. thyrdsome] of knyghtes.

a. A certain indeterminate part of something; a portion. (†In early use frequently following a noun or pronoun, or predicative.) Also some…, some.

ΚΠ

c900 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker MS.) ann. 877 Þa..gefor se here on Miercna lond, & hit gedældon sum, & sum Ceolwulfe saldon.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) viii. 5 Þa he þæt seow, sum feoll wið þæne weg..And sum feoll ofer þæne stan.

c1275 Prov. Hendyng 98 Ȝef thou hauest bred & ale,..Þou del hit sum aboute.

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 98 He hadde þer to Scropssire som & aluendel of warewik ssire.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 151 Amazonia..is som in Asia, and som in Europa.

c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 484/1 Sum, or sumwhat, or a part of a nowmyr or a noþer thynge.

1572 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Queen Elizabeth (1908) 162 Sum in Bowltes and sum by lb.

1588 T. Kyd tr. T. Tasso Housholders Philos. f. 4^v Some was roste, some was backt.

1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 Epil. 14 Bate me some, and I will pay you some.

1611 Bible (King James) Luke viii. 6 And some fell vpon a rocke, and..it withered away.

1796 C. Marshall Gardening (1813) xix. 371 As it is a small flower, pot some.

b. Const. of (the thing specified).

ΚΠ

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 133 Sum of þe sede feol an uppe þe stane.

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 101 Som of gloucestressire & of warewikssire al so.

1560 Bible (Geneva) Lev. iv. 7 The Priest also shal put some of the blood..vpon the hornes of y^e altar.

a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iv. iii. 96 Some of my shame, if you will know of me What man I am.

a1641 J. Smyth Berkeley MSS (1885) III. 260 Ga'as zo'm of thuck bread.

1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer v. i. 78 Snuff some of my Spirit of Hartshorn.

1845 Encycl. Metrop. VIII. 762/1 In the act of drying, some of the lac is generally brought to the surface.

1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 6 Some of it, much of it, has ceased to be alive for us now.

†c. (by) some and some, by little and little; by degrees; gradually. Obsolete. (Cf. A. 8b.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > slowness of action or operation > [phrase] > gradually or in stages

footmealeOE

(a, by) lite and litec1290

a little and a littlea1375

little and littlea1387

(by) some and some1398

by little and by littlea1425

little by little?a1425

littly?a1425

inchmeal1530

by small and small1558

by (a) little1577

gradatim1583

by lithe and lithe1592

by inchesa1616

inch by incha1616

to go slow1664

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Tollem. MS) xi. i Vapoures, þat beþ gaderid sum and sum in þe erþe.

1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) xvii. cxliii Whan þe weþye is swiþe olde, þan he faileþ & roteþ somme and somme.

1602 J. Rhodes Answere Romish Rime sig. B4^v Your doctrine.., which did creepe Into the Church, by some and some.

†d. some and some, something in return for something. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > change > exchange > [noun] > person or thing exchanged

pricea1300

botchmenta1425

changinga1425

exchange1490

tit for tat1546

changeling?1548

some and some1573

tip for tap1573

quid pro quo1816

1573 G. Gascoigne Hearbes in Wks. (1907) I. 353 Recompence the lyke agayne: For some and some is honest playe.

1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) sig. Ti Thinke some and some is honest play.

e. to get some: to have sexual intercourse; to succeed in finding a sexual partner. U.S. slang.

ΘΚΠ

the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity [verb (intransitive)] > have sexual intercourse

playOE

to do (also work) one's kindc1225

bedc1315

couple1362

gendera1382

to go togetherc1390

to come togethera1398

meddlea1398

felterc1400

companya1425

swivec1440

japea1450

mellc1450

to have to do with (also mid, of, on)1474

engender1483

fuck?a1513

conversec1540

jostlec1540

confederate1557

coeate1576

jumble1582

mate1589

do1594

conjoin1597

grind1598

consortc1600

pair1603

to dance (a dance) between a pair of sheets1608

commix1610

cock1611

nibble1611

wap1611

bolstera1616

incorporate1622

truck1622

subagitate1623

occupya1626

minglec1630

copulate1632

fere1632

rut1637

joust1639

fanfreluche1653

carnalize1703

screw1725

pump1730

correspond1756

shag1770

hump1785

conjugate1790

diddle1879

to get some1889

fuckeec1890

jig-a-jig1896

perform1902

rabbit1919

jazz1920

sex1921

root1922

yentz1923

to make love1927

rock1931

mollock1932

to make (beautiful) music (together)1936

sleep1936

bang1937

lumber1938

to hop into bed (with)1951

to make out1951

ball1955

score1960

trick1965

to have it away1966

to roll in the hay1966

to get down1967

poontang1968

pork1968

shtup1969

shack1976

bonk1984

boink1985

1889 W. H. Herndon Let. 5 Jan. in E. Hertz Hidden Lincoln (1940) 233 Speed about 1839–40 was keeping a pretty woman in this city, and Lincoln, desirous to have a little, said to Speed: ‘Speed, do you know where I can get some?’

1971 E. E. Landy Underground Dict. 88 Get some.., obtain sexual intercourse with someone.

1978 J. Krantz Scruples vi. 173 Since his last visit she was getting some, somewhere, he'd bet his life on it.

f. and then some: and (plenty) more in addition. colloquial (chiefly U.S.).

ΚΠ

1908 ‘Yeslah’ Tenderfoot S. Calif. ii. 22 It rains in sheets, in blankets, and in comforters, and then some.

1914 D. O. Barnett Let. in In Happy Memory (1915) 19 I picked them out with those glasses, and let them have it, and then some!

1931 T. E. Lawrence Let. 10 June (1938) 724 It..will be 12 guineas and then some!

1958 J. Cannan And be Villain i. 24 I waited till the train had gone out and then some.

1976 D. Clark Dread & Water ii. 51 People have got to talk... Tell us everything they know and then some.

II. In plural senses.

a. An indefinite or unspecified (but not large) number of persons (or animals); certain persons not named or enumerated. Also some or other.

ΚΠ

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xi. §1 Sume beoð swiðe æþele & widcuðe on heora gebyrdum.

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. John vii. 44 Sumo..uilnadon gegrioppa hine.

OE Beowulf 400 Sume þær bidon, heaðoreaf heoldon.

1154 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1137 Sume hi diden in crucethus.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Heo urnen on-ȝein him..and summe mid ufele þeonke.

a1250 Owl & Nightingale 1648 Summe of þe scheules makeþ.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13664 Heo sculleð beon islaȝene and summe quic iulaȝene.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14739 Amang þir men..War sume þat duues boght and sald.

c1440 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 283 Summe hem kepe Thre nyght in molten donge.

1450 W. Lomnor in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 35 Soom sey he wrotte moche thenke.

1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vi. 440 Thai ourtuk sum at the last, And thame forout mercy can sla.

1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 152 Neuer was Woolfe seene, many nor some.

1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 117 Some there be that think how it was first founded by Amphitus.

1675 H. More in R. Ward Life (1710) 361 I do not wonder that some or other are now and then so strangely assaulted.

1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ix. 88 Some love scalded Gooseberries with them.

1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. i Some, my son, Would bid thee trust in time.

1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 121 It feeds on worms..and according to some, on roots.

1878 T. Hardy Return of Native I. i. iii. 45 I shouldn't have cared about the man, though some may say he's good-looking.

b. Similarly of things.

ΚΠ

c975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xiii. 4 And þa he seow, sume gefeollun bi wæge & cuomun fuglas heofun & frætun.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 25 For þe ten hestes þet ich ibroken habbe summe oðer alle.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. xiii. 4 And the while he soweth, sum felden byside the weye.

a1400–50 Alexander 568 It..raynes doune stanys,..And some as hoge as þi hede fra þe heuyn fallis.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 371 And so forth of manye othere staryng gouernauncis, semyng summe wijlde woode.

1547 A. Borde Breuiary of Helthe i. Pref. f. v^v Many obscure termes,..some & fewe beynge Araby wordes.

1588 W. Lambarde Eirenarcha (new ed.) iv. xix. 595 There be also certain matters..appropriated, some to any, and others to some one, of the generall Sessions.

a1612 J. Harington Brief View Church of Eng. in Nugæ Antiquæ (1804) II. 47 Manie bowlts were roved after him, and some spitefullie feather'd.

†c. With pronoun or noun in apposition. (Cf. B. 7b) Obsolete.

ΚΠ

c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. iv. vii[i]. 282 Þa sumu [v.r. sume] woe nu gemdon geþeodan in þis user ciriclice stær.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 64 Ac sume ge ne gelyfað.

a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1101 Se cyng syððan scipa ut on sæ sende.., ac hi sume æft æt þære neode abruðon.

c1275 Passion Our Lord 43 in Old Eng. Misc. 38 Summe hi weren wyse, and duden al bi his rede.

1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K3^v Yet did I not as some my equals did Demaund of him.

1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iv. vii. 74 That I haue said to some my standers by.

d. In possessive form. Now rare.

ΚΠ

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Capio Sommes consciences beganne to pricke them.

1597 T. Beard Theatre Gods Iudgements i. xiv. 42 Somes lot it was to be torne in peeces.

1617 G. Webbe Pract. Quietness (ed. 2) xxvi. 380 Nor may I condemne all..for somes vnquietnesse.

1675 E. Wilson Spadacrene Dunelmensis 67 I fear I have spoken Ænigmatically..to somes understanding.

1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto XIII xxx. 70 Howsoe'er it shocks some's Self-love, there's safety in a crowd of coxcombs.

6. With of (persons or things).

ΚΠ

c875 in Old Eng. Texts 178 Ðæt he spræc to his liornæra sumum.

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxviii. 11 Summe of ðæm haldendum cwomun in ða ceastra.

c1175 Lamb. Hom. 43 Summe of þan monne sare wepeð.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6574 Sume off ure little flocc. Þatt lefeþþ upp o criste.

c1275 Laȝamon Brut 12001 Somme of þaie sipes wonde mid þan wedere.

1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 9997 Lo here a tale for of ȝou sum.

c1386 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Prol. 193 Somme of hem synke in to the ground.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 185 God wrouȝte tho myraclis in summe of tho placis more and ofter than in othere placis like.

1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur viii. xxxiii. 323 Somme of them were sore hurte.

?1562 Thersytes sig. A.iii Some of the giauntes before Noes floud.

1588 T. Kyd tr. T. Tasso Housholders Philos. f. 17^v A youth, who..doth serue to write and mannedge, some of their affaires.

1611 Bible (King James) Rom. xi. 17 If some of the branches bee broken off.

1664 S. Pepys Diary 19 Mar. (1971) V. 91 I spent the afternoon in paying some of the charges of the buriall.

1749 D. Hartley Observ. Man i. i. 63 Some or other of those vibrations which are excited in it.

1779 Mirror No. 31 Some of our most celebrated historians have committed errors of the first sort.

1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward III. x. 264 Bring that rascal forward some of you.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xvi. 715 Some of those who opposed the bill.

1891 E. Roper By Track & Trail xv. 217 Higher up..there are some of the most sublime scenes I have looked on anywhere.

a. some…, some, = Some…, others. (Cf. A. 2) †Formerly also in some…than some, some and some.

ΚΠ

(a)

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiii. §5 Sume beorhtor sume unbyrhtor, swa swa steorran.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) xii. 5 Sume hi beoton, sume hi of-slogon.

1154 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1140 Sume helden mid te king & sume mid þemperice.

c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 101 Sume sitteð and sume ligeð and sume we stondeð.

a1225 Leg. Kath. 37 Summe þurh muchele ȝeouen.., summe þurh fearlac.

c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 948 Of summe þay smyte of legges & armes & of sum þe heuedes þay gerde.

a1400 K. Alis. (W.) 2517 To divers castles he heom sent:..Some to Libye, some to Rome.

a1400–50 Alexander 1330 All at he slayn fyndez, He makes to grave, some in grete, some in gray marbyll.

1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 250 Some whispred, some rownyd, some spake, and some cryde.

a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 64 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 97 Sum will me dulfully dicht Sum dyng me to deid.

1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 8 Some [fled] into Norway, and some into Denmarke, and some into one Countrie, and some into another.

1611 Bible (King James) Psalms xx. 7 Some trust in charets, and some in horses.

1690 W. Temple Ess. Gardens of Epicurus 11 in Miscellanea: 2nd Pt. Like Rover Shots, some nearer and some further off, but all at great Distance from the Mark.

1750 tr. C. Leonardus Mirror of Stones 130 For some are gold, some silver, others copper, and others iron.

1837 P. Keith Bot. Lexicon 122 Some are annular, some are reticulated, some are dotted, and some akin to spirals.

1855 C. Kingsley Westward Ho! xxv Some ran; some did not run.

(b)1493 Chastysing Goddes Chyldern (de Worde) ii. sig. Aij/2 Our lorde withdraweth him fro some more than fro some.1527 Inventory Goods Henry Fitzroy 19 in Camden Misc. (1855) III Item, Counter~points of all sortes, some bygger than some.1547 tr. A. de Marcourt Bk. Marchauntes (new ed.) c vj b My marchants, of whome truely some be wilier than some.1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. xvi. 326 Some are wiser than some,..and some are worse than some.(c)a1529 J. Skelton Why come ye nat to Courte (?1545) 385 But there is some trauarse Bytwene some and some.

b. So some…, others (†other).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > contrariety [phrase] > some... whereas some others...

some…, somec888

some…, others (other)c950

some…(other) some1377

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark xii. 5 Sume ðurscun, oðero æc ofslogon.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark xii. 5 Thei slowen him, and othere mo, betynge summe, but sleynge othere.

1588 T. Kyd tr. T. Tasso Housholders Philos. f. 14^v Some are naturally borne to commannde, and others to obey.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 189 Some haue a smacke of Christ, others of Mahomet.

1696 in 13th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1892) App. VI. 41 By impowering some, and neglecting others.

1746 P. Francis tr. Horace Art of Poetry 491 Some Charm when nigh, Others at Distance more delight your Eye.

1868 C. M. Yonge Cameos lxxxviii, in Monthly Packet June 535 The burghers hurried out, some with the straight cross of France, others with the saltire of Burgundy.

†c. Also some…, other some. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 52 For sum wald haiff þe Balleoll king..And oþer sum nyt all þat cas.

1532 G. Hervet tr. Xenophon Treat. Househ. (1768) 74 For some haue gret plenty..and other some haue scantly so moche as they nede.

1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie ii. xvi. 50 b Cesternes.., supported some by vaultes, and othersom by..pillars.

1611 Bible (King James) Acts xvii. 18 Some said, What will this babbler say? Other some, He seemeth to bee a setter foorth of strange gods.

1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 141 Some place it in the circle of the Moone..other some vnder the Circle of the Moone.

1700 S. L. tr. C. Frick Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 121 Some of 'em are far better than other some.

†8.

a. some after some, = A. 8b. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > plurality > fewness > [adverb] > at a time

some after some1598

some and some1686

1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales iv. xvi. 115 Comming some after some, & dropping in by companies.

b. some and some, a few at a time, gradually. Obsolete. (Cf. A. 4c.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > plurality > fewness > [adverb] > at a time

some after some1598

some and some1686

1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 63 He put my Goods aboard, some and some, as he saw his Opportunity.

1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 238 They came dropping in, some and some, not in two Bodies and in Form.., but all in Heaps.

1769 G. White Let. 28 Feb. in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1789) 65 Persons that assert that the swallow kind disappear some and some gradually, as they come.

B. adj.¹

I. With singular nouns. (See also sense B. 9c)

†1.

a. Of persons or places: A certain. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. i Þa wæs sum consul,..Boetius wæs gehaten.

971 Blickl. Hom. 15 Þa sæt þær sum blind þearfa be ðon wege.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) xi. 1 Sum seoc man wæs genemned lazarus of bethania.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xviii. 2 Sum iuge was in sum citee... Forsothe sum widowe was in that citee.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke i. 5 Ther was sum prest, Zacharie by name, in the dayes of Eroude.

a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) II. 87 Sum godlie man [sc. John Knox] was in the castell.

†b. = one pron. 3b. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xxv. 19 Thei hadden aȝens hym summe questiouns..of sum Jhesu deed, whom Poul affermyde for to lyue.

1765 T. Hutchinson Hist. Colony Massachusets-Bay, 1628–91 (ed. 2) i. 86 A quo warranto had been brought by some Sir John Banks, attorney-general [etc.].

a. One or other; an undetermined or unspecified.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [adjective] > not specified > some kind of or some > some or other

somec888

some1615

somethingth1854

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvii. §2 Þæt mon hehð ænne heafodbeag gyldenne æt sumes ærneweges ende.

c1000 Ælfric Lives Saints xxxi. 651 Martinus..wolde for sumere neode wið hine spræcan.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 228 Ðeȝȝ wisstenn þatt himm wass þatt daȝȝ Summ unncuþ sihhþe shæwedd.

a1225 Leg. Kath. 811 Scheoteð forð sum word, & let us onswerien.

c1250 Owl & Night. 1265 Naueþ mon no sikerhede Þat he ne may..adrede Þat sum vnhap neih him beo.

a1300 Vox & Wolf in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) I. 62 For he thoute, mid soumme ginne, Him self houp [= up] bringe.

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 101 Þat hul is ful hiȝe, so þat snowe lyeth all wey in som side of þat hille.

1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) ii. l. 391 Thow Scot, abide. I trow thow be sum spy.

1528 W. Tyndale Obed. Christen Man f. lxxxix This worde sacramente..representeth allwaye some promise of God.

1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 360 b They rest their handes upon some staffe shaking and tremblyng.

1637 J. Milton Comus 17 Some neighbour wood man, or at worst Some roaving robber.

1665 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim xviii. 171 I believe you are desirous to have some list of these Enemies.

1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey II. viii. 180 Some mean sea-farer in pursuit of gain.

1780 Mirrour No. 94 Miss Sophia R. therefore keeps me right..or covers my deviations with some apology.

1825 W. Scott Talisman ii, in Tales Crusaders III. 20 They had even their knights, or some rank analogous.

1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset I. xxi. 177 I am going to ask him to put his case into some lawyer's hands.

1876 ‘Ouida’ In Winter City vi. 128 A triptych of some old fogey of a painter.

b. In adverbial expressions of time and place, with or without a preposition.See also sometime adv., somewhere adv., somewhile adv.

ΚΠ

(a)

c893 tr. Orosius Hist. i. i. 17 He sæde þæt he æt sumum cirre wolde fandian [etc.].

c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 62 Þa becom se apostol æt sumum sæle to þære byrig Pergamum.

c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 185 Ðos feawe word seide ure drihten..at sume sele.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 39 David..meanede Insumme time þet ha wes ed start him.

c1250 Owl & Night. 293 At sum syþe herde i telle hw Alured seyde on his spelle.

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Heb. ii. 6 Sum man witnesside in sum place.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 20981 He was sua stanid on sum dai, Vneths he bar lif a-way.

a1400–50 Alexander 204 Suppos~and þaim in sum tyme for sothe to be knawen.

a1400–50 Alexander (MS. D.) 755* He..stighillys hym in som stede a stable by hym one.

1616 B. Jonson Forrest xiii. 26 in Wks. I No lady, but, at some time, loues her glasse.

(b)a900 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker MS.) ann. 896 Þa sume dæge rad se cyng up be þære eæ.a1400 Seuyn Sages (W.) 2936 Bot wele in hert he hoped ay That he sold hir se sum day.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13185 Men mai yeitt se sun sted in france [etc.].a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 956 I hete to sende hit ȝou sum tide.1550 Reg. Privy Council Scotl. I. 88 He hopis sum day to see his sone [etc.].a1822 P. B. Shelley Charles I ii, in Wks. (1870) II. 389 His Grace..expects to enter the New Jerusalem some Palm Sunday in triumph.1845 R. Browning Home Thoughts from Abroad i, in Bells & Pomegranates No. VII: Dramatic Romances & Lyrics 8/2 And who wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware [etc.].1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies i. 25 I see it is true; or if I do not now, I hope I shall, some day.

c. With the indefiniteness emphasized by the addition of or other (cf. other pron. and n. 5a), or another.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [adjective] > not specified > some kind of or some > some or other

somec888

some1615

somethingth1854

1615 W. Bedwell Arabian Trudgman in tr. Mohammedis Imposturæ sig. K4 How oft..shal you not meet with some exoticke and strange terme or other?

a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) i. ii. 95 By some deuise or other, The villaine is ore-wrought of all my monie.

1697 J. Dryden Ded. Æneis in tr. Virgil Wks. sig. a3^v Yet all this while I have been Sailing with some side-wind or other toward the Point I propos'd in the beginning.

1736 Swift's Lett. (1768) IV. 171 I received yours some day or other this week.

a1774 O. Goldsmith Surv. Exper. Philos. (1776) II. 14 Certain it is that the air is impregnated with salts of some kind or another.

1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 72 An impulse which will vent itself in some form or other.

1881 L. B. Walford Dick Netherby xii. 144 He must write some day or other.

d. With adjectives used absolutely. rare.

ΚΠ

1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Mar. 74 [I] Might see the mouing of some quicke, Whose shape appeared not.

1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd iii. ii The man's..possest With some nae good.

e. In suggestive or euphemistic use.

ΚΠ

1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd v. iii She's baith a slee and a revengfu' bitch, And that my some-place [= posteriors] finds.

†3. Used with an indefinite or generalizing force similar to that of the plural (sense A. 7). Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [adjective] > not specified > some kind of or some

somec888

somekinc1175

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiv. §10 Sumes wuda eard bið on dunum.

c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 322 Sumum men he forgifð wisdom and spræce, sumum god ingehyd, sumum micelne geleafan.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 10226 For þan was sum man god dredand.

1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 64 The ape..is wyser in clergie than somme preest.

1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ii. 298 Sum man for erynes will trymbill, Quhen he assayit is sodanly.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ecclus. vi. 9 And there is some frende that turneth to enemyte, and taketh parte agaynst the.

1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ecclus. xx. 5 Some man kepeth sylence, and is founde wyse.

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Alburnum, the fatte that is in some tree.

1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 103 In some regard they tooke speciall notice of the difference of wits.

a. A certain (unspecified) amount, part, degree, or extent of (something), frequently implying ‘not little, considerable’. †In Old English also with the, his, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > [adjective] > some or any

somec888

alleOE

anyOE

the world > relative properties > quantity > [adjective] > some or any > some at least

somec888

certainc1540

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxiv. §4 Nis nan man þætte sumes eacan ne ðyrfe.

c893 tr. Orosius Hist. iii. x. 140 He beæftan gebad mid sumum þæm fultume.

c920 Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 913 Sum his fultum worhte þa burg.

a1200 Moral Ode 25 in Old Eng. Hom. I. 161 Sendeð sum god bi-foren eow, þe hwile þet ȝe muȝen, to houene.

c1275 XI Pains of Hell 290 in Old Eng. Misc. 220 Poul knelid adowne..And prayd..Fore þe soulis in hel sum ryst haue þer.

1375 in Horstmann Altengl. Leg. (1878) 125/1 Bote rys, & go we eft wiþ mod For to seken vs sum fod.

1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. iii. 128 Þat god wolde were ydo with-oute som deceite.

?c1440 Pol., Rel., & L. Poems (1903) 246 Lord! sende me sum ‘amor’ sede.

?1478 W. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 649 He praythe yow to sende hym sum mony.

1562 in F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages, Divorces, & Ratifications Diocese Chester (1897) 189 He came thither to get somme threde.

1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 244 When this haile some heate, from Hermia, felt.

1650 Earl of Monmouth tr. J. F. Senault Man become Guilty 345 These wise men..mought have some cognizance of the truth.

1677 A. Marvell Season. Argument in Wks. (1776) II. 562 Where he feathered his nest to some purpose.

1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 100. ⁋1 He immediately calls for some Posset-drink for him.

1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 106. ⁋5 A Person of good Sense and some Learning.

1761–2 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lxi. 589 Some state was up~held, but with little expense.

1831 W. Scott Castle Dangerous v, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. III. 300 His master..had been a man of some reading.

1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 191 In the neighbourhood..was some copsewood and some pasture land.

1890 Law Times Rep. 63 767/1 There is some variation in the mode in which the custom is stated.

b. With partitive terms, as part, degree, etc.See also somedeal n., adv., and adj., somepart adv., somewhat adv.

ΚΠ

c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 13553 Iff ye haue ferkit any fode to þis frith now,..ges me som part.

1567 W. Allen Treat. Def. Priesthod 306 To geue pardon..is to release some parte, or all the enioyned penaunce.

1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 56 For I trow..sum part salbe thyne.

1648 in S. R. Gardiner Hamilton Papers (1880) 226 It is beliued that som parte of the caus is from Scotland.

1780 Mirror No. 82 But I can venture to assert, with some degree of confidence, that [etc.].

1826 D. Booth Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 2 I admit this to be correct advice, in some measure.

1870 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Gleanings 2nd Ser. 7 Some part of its authority was due to its prestige.

c. With terms of time or space.

ΚΠ

(a)

c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) v. xii. 432 Þa ic sume tid fram ðe gewat [etc.].

c1060 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (MS. C) ann. 1055 Hig..wendan..ut on Wealas, & þær lagon sume hwile.

a1200 Moral Ode 147 in Old Eng. Hom. I. 169 Hefð he ifonded [it] summe stunde, he wolde al seggen oðer.

a1225 Leg. Kath. 8 Constantin ferde..in to Fronclonde, & wunede summe hwile þear.

c1275 in Old Eng. Misc. 89 Þo heo stod ful vaste, and seoþþe sume stunde.

c1400 Pilgr. Sowle (1483) iii. viii. 55 Al be hit that for somtyme theyr lewd lyf displesid to them seluen.

a1648 Ld. Herbert Life (1976) 15 He that can forbeare speaking for some while will remitt much of his Passion.

1658 J. Webb tr. G. de Costes de La Calprenède Hymen's Præludia: 8th Pt. viii. i. 147 [He] continued sometime in the designe.

1710 J. Addison Spectator No. 12. ¶1 It was some time before I could settle my self in a House to my likeing.

1747 in E. H. Burton Life Bp. Challoner (1909) I. xiv. 223 I sent the lessons some time ago to Paris.

?1838 Hist. Berwickshire Naturalists' Club 1 No. 6. 173 After lying some time among weedy rocks.

1845 R. C. Trench Fitness Holy Script. i. 16 No doubt for some while the Church did exist with a canon not full formed.

1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon I. 315 Basil hesitated for some time.

(b)1594 H. Plat Jewell House 4 An earthern vessel of some receipte.a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 262 'Twixt which Regions There is some space. 1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho III. xi. 380 At some distance, among these woods, stood a pavilion.1820 J. Milner Suppl. Mem. Eng. Catholics 313 These authors answered the challenge, each of them in a work of some length.1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. App. 503 The ancient frontier..lies some way to the north.1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey I. 10 The town..is a place of some size.

d. With adjectives, as little, small, considerable, etc.

ΚΠ

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xv. 33 Sothli sum litil tyme maad there, thei weren dismittid..with pees of bretheren.

?1592 Trag. Solyman & Perseda ii. i I haue some little replie, if neede require.

1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 14 That you voutsafe your rest heere in our Court Some little time.

1626 in Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS: Var. Coll. (1907) IV. 171 The necessitie of useing some small quantitie of bay salt therein.

1716 B. Church Entertaining Passages Philip's War ii. 72 Several of his men..was gone some considerable time.

1792 Gentleman's Mag. 13/2 The bridge..is some little distance from the main street of Duffield.

1825 W. Scott Betrothed xii, in Tales Crusaders II. 237 Suppose him returning some brief time hence.

a1834 S. T. Coleridge Lit. Remains (1836) II. 198 Perhaps, the influence of a princess..may be some little excuse for Albany's weakness.

1902 Encycl. Brit. XXVIII. 407/1 Fishes..which swim some little distance above the actual sea-bed.

e. U.S. In predicative use: Of some account; deserving of consideration. With quot. a1848 cf. the U.S. colloquial phrase some pumpkins s.v. pumpkin n. 2b.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > worthy of notice > of considering

estimable1576

sensible1581

esteemable1612

considerablea1631

some1844

thoughtworthy1846

1844 Spirit of Times 30 Nov. 474/1 Many people have an idea that the ‘big mare’ will be ‘some’ in the race.

1845 Knickerbocker Mag. 25 273 The way he put in the licks was some!

a1848 G. F. Ruxton Life in Far West (1849) ii. 60 She's ‘some’ now, that is a fact, and the biggest kind of punkin at that.

1849 in J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (1859) (at cited word) Which was admitted by the oldest inhabitant to be ‘some’ in the way of cold winters.

1850 N. Kingsley Diary 159 [He] has taken out this afternoon 30 ounces of amalgam, which I think is some for this bar.

1850 N. Kingsley Diary 163 He took out over 80 ounces in amalgam; this is some & no mistake.

1860 J. G. Holland Miss Gilbert's Career xii. 218 Good boy!.. You're some, that's a fact.

1876 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Tom Sawyer i. 22 Smarty! You think you're some, now, don't you.

1888 ‘C. E. Craddock’ Broomsedge Cove xix. 346 The weather is getting to be ‘some’ if not more, aint it?

1890 Dial. Notes 1 70 To say of a woman that ‘she looks some’, with emphasis on the some.., is equivalent to saying that she looks remarkably well.

f. Quite a; a remarkable. Used meiotically, often ironically, to suggest that something or someone is worthy of consideration. some hope(s)!: see hope n.¹ 4a originally U.S.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > very great > and remarkable

outnumenc1225

whata1325

outnemea1400

excessive1477

superiora1500

supernatural?1537

supereminent?1563

extraordinary1572

no mean ——1580

metaphysical1589

superhumana1629

uncommon1700

unco1724

some1808

hellacious1847

helluva1905

(a) hang of a1941

the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > worthy of notice > of considering > ironically

some1808

1808 J. Mackintosh in Mem. Life Sir J. Mackintosh (1835) I. viii. 448 You know that Bossuet and Arnauld believed their innocence—some authority.

1855 ‘Q. K. P. Doesticks’ Doesticks, what he Says iv. 28 It was ‘some’ bridge, in fact, a considerable curiosity, and a ‘considerable’ bridge.

1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 80 They're some geologists, he added with unwilling admiration.

1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 108 Butte is some education, believe me.

1915 H. Rosher In Royal Naval Air Service (1916) 87 I have written up her raids inside the fuselage—(1) Friedrichshafen, (2) Zeebrugge, (3) Ostend, (4) Ostend again, and (5) Hoboken—some record!

1915 H. Rosher In Royal Naval Air Service (1916) 90 Windows were broken in the streets all round—‘some’ mess, I can tell you.

1915 Evening News 25 Jan. 3/3 A man whose cheery optimism will make him crack a joke in the small hours when things are bad and his best pals have gone..is ‘some’ soldier.

1922 A. A. Milne Red House Myst. vii. 60 She's an actress, some actress too.

1923 S. Donoghue Just my Story 270 Forty miles in fifty-five minutes! ‘Some’ driver, Lucien.

1925 F. S. Fitzgerald Great Gatsby iii. 60 He smiled with jovial condescension, and added ‘some sensation!’ Whereupon everybody laughed.

1931 J. Brophy & E. Partridge Songs & Slang Brit. Soldier: 1914–1918 (ed. 3) 359 Some hopes!, it is most unlikely!

1941 W. S. Churchill Unrelenting Struggle (1942) 345 When I warned them [sc. the French Government] that Britain would fight on alone whatever they did, their Generals told their Prime Minister and his divided Cabinet: ‘In three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.’ Some chicken! Some neck!

1958 ‘J. Byrom’ Or be he Dead v. 69 ‘I gather you have Miss Canning as your assistant sleuth!’ .. ‘Some hope’..a good secretary always has to be in love with her boss!’

1976 A. Price War Game i. 66 ‘David has us to console him.’.. ‘Some consolation!’ murmured Frances.

1977 J. Wainwright Do Nothin' x. 176 ‘Some band,’ murmurs Ted—and there is suppressed excitement in his voice. I say, ‘Ted—believe me—this is going to be some band.’

5. some other adj. (see other adj. 5b).

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > difference > [adjective] > different, other, or further

some otherc950

otherOE

anotherc1175

secondc1480

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xvii. 12 Mið-ðy innfoerde sum oðer werc.

c1000 Ælfric Lives Saints xxxi. 691 Se ylca sulpicius and sum oðer broðor.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7476 Þatt teȝȝ..sholldenn..farenn ham till here land All wiþþ summ oþerr weȝȝe.

1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 3470 As yn cherche to synge or rede, Or of sum oþer holy dede.

1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. viii. 34 Sette scolers to scole or to sum oþer craft.

c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 302 He which is ouerer..schulde louȝe him silf in sum other maner.

1562 P. Whitehorne Certain Waies Orderyng Souldiers f. 6, in tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre The residue of the men..may be placed some other where.

1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. I2 O that I were some other countryman.

1611 Bible (King James) 1 Cor. xv. 37 It may chance of wheat, or of some other graine.

1640 tr. G. S. du Verdier Love & Armes Greeke Princes ii. 193 I will take the power to love some otherwhere.

1680 R. L'Estrange tr. Erasmus 20 Select Colloquies xiii. 189 He concluded to take some other Priest along with him.

1733 A. Pope Ess. Man i. 64 One single [movement] can its End produce, Yet serves to second too some other Use.

a1845 T. Hood Poems (1846) II. 69 [To] forbear their privacy and seek some other where.

1858 N. Hawthorne Ancestral Footstep (1883) 514 The old Hospitaller must die in his bed, or some other how.

6. Followed by certain or one with limiting force (cf. one adj. 3a).

ΚΠ

1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer iv. sig. Qq.iiii In case some certeine Circe shoulde tourne into wilde beastes all the Frenche Kinges subiectes.

1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Vnus aliquis, some one man.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. v. 5 A man is..neuer welcome to a place, till some certaine shot be paid.

1655 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. I. ii. 3 Respiring flames at some certain part.

1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles ii. i. 53 Some certain Point should finish the Debate.

1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles ii. i. 76 In some one Excellence their Merit lies.

1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies ii. 156 She should..follow at least some one path of scientific attainment.

II. With plural nouns.

a. Certain (taken individually).Also with limiting terms as certain, other: cf. senses A. 5, A. 6.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] > a particular or certain

somec888

oneeOE

certain138.

some certain1561

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxv Þæt ælc gesceaft bið healdon locen wið hire gecynde,..buton monnum & sumum englum.

a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1119 Wæs mycel eorðbifung on suman steodan her on lande.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11214 Affterr þatt sume wise menn. O lare. itt unnderrstanndenn.

c1250 Owl & Night. 879 Þeyh summe men beon þurhut gode.

1340 Ayenbite (1866) 196 Zom uolk byeþ þet onworþeþ þe poure.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19550 Þof summen mai baptise, Mai naman..Conferming giue, bot biscop hand.

1493 Chastysing Goddes Chyldern (de Worde) xx. sig. Ei/2 In somm outwarde signes the prophecye of the deuyll may be knowen.

a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 132 Sum Pryncis ther bene, that..takyn atte har talent trew men goodis.

1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Bvi Some persons..wyll muse or maruell.

1562 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 23 The durris..wes calket also with sum notes of dishonour.

1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. iv. 118 Some certaine dregs of conscience are yet with in me.

1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iv. xlvi. 374 Some..bodies sink naturally downwards.

1696 C. Leslie Snake in Grass 88 I wou'd advise some Friends to go to the Dancing-School, and learn a more Gentle and Graceful Mien.

1723 Duke of Wharton True Briton No. 24. ¶29 I have heard some People very large in their Exclamations against Creeds and Forms of Faith.

1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 23/1 Some days he has violent purgings, at other times he gets better.

1826 D. Booth Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 15 Some gentlemen, however,..have studied the subject more particularly.

1855 J. Phillips Man. Geol. 498 Oligoclase occurs in some granites.

1867 J. Ruskin Time & Tide i. §3 Every nation is fitted..for some particular employments or manufactures.

†b. With article or pronoun accompanying the noun. (Cf. sense A. 5c) Obsolete.

ΚΠ

c893 tr. Orosius Hist. i. i. 18 Þa teð hie brohton sume þæm cyninge.

c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 448 Ge magon gehyran sume his ðeawes.

c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) ix. 3 Ða cwædon hig sume þa boceras him betwynan.

c1120 Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 1119 Sume þa castelas he mid strengðe genam.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 5988 Summe þe scipen [c1300 Otho somme of þaie sipes] wunden forð mid þan wederen.

1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 2718 So þat some þe messagers to kermerdin come.

c. some…(other) some, some…other(s). †Also with than, and elliptical for sometimes.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > contrariety [phrase] > some... whereas some others...

some…, somec888

some…, others (other)c950

some…(other) some1377

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiv. §10 Sumra wyrta..eard bið on dunum,..sumra on merscum, sumra on morum.

c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 48 Sume lareowas sindon beteran ðonne sume.

1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xv. 95 Þere somme bowes ben leued and somme bereth none.

1430–40 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes ix. xxxviii L'Envoi, Some folke appayre, some dothe amende.

1551 W. Turner New Herball sig. Kiij^v In sum placies Cicuta is much stronger then in other sum.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iii. iii. 19 Sometimes her head on one side, some another.

1651 C. Cartwright Certamen Religiosum i. 42 Some think that the English translation..in some places takes away, in other places addes, and other-some places changes the meaning.

1770 C. Jenner Placid Man II. v. v. 126 It makes some folks prouder than othersome.

1854 M. Oliphant Magdalen Hepburn III. 105 These might be rude missionaries, in some cases, but in other some, they were the highest of heart, and noblest of spirit.

1875 W. D. Parish Dict. Sussex Dial. (at cited word) Sometimes my old gal's better than what she be othersome.

a. A certain number of; a few at least.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > plurality > [adjective]

somec950

somea1122

sundryc1275

diverse1387

divers1393

diverse and sundry1484

plurala1538

various and sundry1652

several?1661

several-fold1833

pluralistic1837

a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1048 Ða he wæs sume mila oððe mare beheonan Dofran, þa dyde he on his byrnan.

1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xix. 190 I know..Your some sweete smiles, your some, but louely lowrs.a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 145 They hurried vs a-boord a Barke, Bore vs some Leagues to Sea. 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 208 Some flaggons of rich wine, some very white bisket, some pruines and raisins.1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World ii. 30 To dig a small garden to sow some lettices, and other sort of sallading.1785 Mrs. Grant of Laggan Lett. Mount. (1807) II. 96 The house has no other inhabitant at present than an old Sybil..and some legions of rooks and daws.1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I. x. 265 It costs but..the journey of some brief days.1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 95 The middle and hinder ones die after some weeks' struggle for existence.1887 Field 12 Nov. 734/2 Displaying his science by some beautiful casts.

b. In adverbial expressions of time.

ΚΠ

c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds x. 48 Thanne thei preieden him, that he schulde dwelle with hem summe dayes.

1602 in J. Morris Troubles Catholic Forefathers (1872) (modernized text) 1st Ser. i. iv. 192 My abode..hath been for some years..in London.1661 in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 6 Gervise Lucas served..as gentleman of his horse some years.1709 D. Manley Secret Mem. 194 A comical Adventure happen'd to her some Nights ago.1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 322. ⁋2 Some Years ago it happened that [etc.].1821 T. Moore Mem. (1853) III. 273 Have not been very well these some days past.1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. iv. xxix. 277 We shall meet with better feelings some months hence.1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon I. 119 He has been here some years.

c. With addition of few.

ΚΠ

1582 W. Allen Briefe Hist. Glorious Martyrdom sig. e8, 8^v This blessed man..of whose life I thought good to set downe some few lines also.

1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §470 If some few Pertusions be made in the Pot.

1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xiv. sig. Ff6^v We..caught more in some few Minutes than we had taken in a whole hour before.

1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 66 For some few gasping moments.

1847 G. Grote Hist. Greece IV. ii.xxv. 11 They had some few towns.

a. Used with numbers to indicate an approximate amount or estimate, and passing into an adverb with the sense ‘about, nearly, approximately’. Also U.S., following a numeral.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > approximate quantity or amount > [adjective]

somec888

the world > relative properties > quantity > approximate quantity or amount > [adverb]

somec888

aboutOE

thereabouts1413

thereabout1534

thereby1563

nearabout1567

thereupona1676

thereaway1815

nearabouts1834

somewheres1859

let us say1863

the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > [adjective] > numbered or reckoned > approximately

round1600

some1968

c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxviii. §1 Þa wæron hi sume ten gear on þam gewinne.

c900 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker MS.) ann. 896 Þær wurdon..sume feower cyninges þegnas ofslægene.

c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14463 Þa wunede bi-ȝeonde þere Hunbre..drenches sume sixe.

1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 84^v The floud Ganges hath Eles some 30 Foote long.

1582 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 424 Some three or fower acres of woode.

1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry ii. sig. E They skip into my Lords cast skins some twice a yeere.

1671 J. Dryden Evening's Love ii. 18 I have some 300 Pistols by me.

1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 165 It's now some nine-an'-twenty year.

1836 J. W. Carlyle Lett. I. 56 We expect John Carlyle in some ten days.

1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies i. 80 This collection..would probably have been some thousand or twelve hundred pounds.

1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 648 The club consists of some 40 members.

1968 Time 19 Jan. 7/2 Twenty-some years ago, when I was a nurse on the U.S.S. Hope.

1971 R. A. Carter Manhattan Primitive (1972) xi. 104 He's thirty years old, with..a master's degree and forty-some hours towards a doctorate.

1980 in S. Terkel Amer. Dreams 2 There were sixty-some contestants from all over the place.

b. With numerals denoting the time of day.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > particular time > [adverb] > at a particular or certain time > approximately > a particular time of day

somea1616

a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iv. iii. 185 I thinke 'tis now some seuen a clocke.

1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxxii. 277 At some ten o'clock the clinking of a sabre might have been heard.

c. Hence with singular nouns expressing time, distance, amount, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > particular time > [adverb] > at a particular or certain time > approximately

thereabout1297

thereabouts1561

thenabouts1589

some1595

hereabout1675

somewhere1839

(a)

1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet v. iii. 255 When I came, some minute ere the time Of her awakening.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iii. ii. 9 I would detaine you heere some moneth or two.

1819 R. Southey Select. from Lett. (1856) III. 348 A note from Murray some fortnight ago let me know [etc.].

1875 B. Meadows Clin. Observ. 20 Face..not so free as some week or two back.

(b)1595 Drake's Voy. (1849) 7 We came to anchor some saker shott from a forte.1603 R. Johnson tr. G. Botero Hist. Descr. Worlde 86 Distant from the towne some halfe mile.1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 191 Some halfe musket shot distance.1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. iii. 71 Which was distant some mile or so from the school.1883 C. J. Wills In Land of Lion & Sun 203 Some mile and a half through the deserted streets.(c)1846 S. Wilberforce Speeches on Missions (1874) 98 In order that the English people might buy that luxury some penny a pound cheaper.

III. With other, one, few, etc., used absolutely.

10. In singular and plural.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > number > plurality > [adjective]

somec950

somea1122

sundryc1275

diverse1387

divers1393

diverse and sundry1484

plurala1538

various and sundry1652

several?1661

several-fold1833

pluralistic1837

(a)

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xiii. 4 Sum oðer gefeollon neh woeg.

c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke ix. 27 Sint sume oðera her stondað ðaðe [etc.].

1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v The leche whiche wylle hele somme other, ought fyrste to hele hym self.

1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vi. xv. 7 Sum wtheris better can thair causis pleid.

?1592 Trag. Solyman & Perseda iv. ii I would my maister had left some other to be his agent here.

1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 53 Some other in the meane time playing with his nose, and bobbing him in the face.

1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World I. 51 There is Seneca, and Bolingbroke, and some others.

(b)1546 Supplic. Poor Commons 85 Perhappes some one of vs hathe hylded C. shepe.1599 R. Hakluyt tr. Odoric of Pordenone in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) II. i. 56 Most rich & precious stones, some one of which is of more value then a whole kingdome.1886 C. E. Pascoe London of To-day (ed. 3) xlii. 366 To admire and covet, if not to buy, some one of its treasures.(c)1582 W. Allen Briefe Hist. Glorious Martyrdom sig. d7^v Meaning by the state..the wealfare of some few..vpholden by this new religion.1621 R. Montagu Diatribæ Hist. Tithes 526 Vnlesse some few, & Many in your language be all one.a1648 Ld. Herbert Life Henry VIII (1649) 397 The use that may be made of some few, as two or three in every Shire.1735 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 106/1 Some few were well dress'd.1875 A. Helps Social Pressure ix. 124 We think—at least, some few of us do—that [etc.].(d)a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. iii. 121 Some certaine of the Noblest minded Romans. a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) ii. iii. 54 Some certaine of your Brethren.

C. adv. (See also sense B. 9)

1. With comparatives: A little; slightly; somewhat. Chiefly Scottish and northern.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb] > somewhat

somedealc725

halfc1175

somewhatc1175

somethingc1275

little whatc1384

somedeallyc1400

measurablec1420

somewhatlyc1450

somewisec1450

somepartc1485

parta1500

something1548

rather1573

some1575

rathera1684

sunket1686

somethingisha1726

measurably1756

rather1770

rather1772

somec1780

sumthin1786

wee1816

sumfin1852

sumptin1852

measuredly1860

sumpin1889

part-way1954

ish1986

1575 J. Rolland Treat. Court Venus i. f. 13 Quhill time this corps be sum better applyit.

1636 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. 172 My Well-beloved is some kinder..than ordinary.

1667 O. Heywood Heart-treasure xvi. 219 I am rich still, as rich as ever I was, and some richer.

1741 A. Monro Anat. Human Bones (ed. 3) 207 The superior bulbous Part of this Bone forms some less than the inferior Half of that..Cavity.

1786 R. Burns Poems 217 I hope we..ken some better.

1807 P. Gass Jrnls. 219 Yesterday we gave him an Indian sweat, and he is some better to day.

1894 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words She's some better thi day.

2. With verbs:

a. A certain amount; a little.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb] > a certain amount or a little

some1699

1699 O. Heywood Autobiogr., Diaries, & Event Bks. (1885) IV. 162 She bled some still.

1821 Joseph the Book-man 17 Joe in his day had travell'd some.

1822 J. Hogg Tales & Sketches (1837) VI. 272 He spoke some to himself likewise, but it was only one short sentence.

1834 J. Hall Kentucky II. 40 I hunt some, and snake a little.

1842 C. Dickens in J. Forster Life Dickens iii. iv He may walk some, perhaps—not much.

1909 Lady's Realm Feb. 468/2 He hunted some, and fished some.

b. U.S. To some extent; in some degree; somewhat. The variations of American usage are very fully illustrated in Thornton's Amer. Gloss. (1912) 827–9.

ΚΠ

1745 J. Emerson Jrnl. 8 Apr. in Proc. Mass. Hist. Soc. (1911) XLIV. 74 I read some in Watson.

1785 Massachusetts Spy 28 Apr. 2/3 (advt.) A tall stout looking fellow,..stammers some in his speech.

1817 in Hist. Coll. Essex Inst. (1866) VIII. 228 The material of which it is built looks some like marble.

1825 in Thornton Amer. Gloss. (at cited word) [You are] on the huffy order, some, to night.

1843 J. G. Whittier in S. T. Pickard Life & Lett. J. G. Whittier (1894) I. 281 I think some of attending the great anti-slavery convention.

1863 E. Dicey Six Months in Federal States I. 225 It used to amuse me some..to find that the slaveholders wanted more territory [etc.].

1889 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 206 Having been troubled some of late to get clear results.

c. U.S. In emphatic use: Very much, very well, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > very

tooc888

swith971

wellOE

fullOE

rightc1175

muchc1225

wellac1275

gainlya1375

endlyc1440

hard?1440

very1448

odda1500

great1535

jolly1549

fellc1600

veryvery1649

gooda1655

vastly1664

strange1667

bloody1676

ever so1686

heartily1727

real1771

precious1775

quarely1805

murry1818

très1819

freely1820

powerfula1822

gurt1824

almighty1830

heap1832

all-fired1833

gradely1850

real1856

bonny1857

heavens1858

veddy1859

canny1867

some1867

oh-so1881

storming1883

spanking1886

socking1896

hefty1898

velly1898

fair dinkum1904

plurry1907

Pygmalion1914

dinkum1915

beaucoup1918

dirty1920

molto1923

snorting1924

honking1929

hellishing1931

thumpingly1948

way1965

mega1966

mondo1968

seriously1970

totally1972

mucho1978

stonking1990

1867 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. (new ed.) p. lxi Thet night, I tell ye, she looked some!

1894 ‘G. Egerton’ Keynotes 9 ‘How you love young things!’ she says. ‘Some.’

d. to go some: to go well or fast; to do well; to work hard. slang (originally U.S.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > act or do vigorously [verb (intransitive)]

twig1573

to go at ——1675

to go it1794

to come it1796

to lay it on thick1806

to blaze away1826

bushwhack1837

steam1842

split1844

rustle1882

to work like a demon1884

yank1888

go-at-it1904

to go somea1911

to put a jerk in it1919

to go (also do) one's (also a) dinger1923

to work (etc.) one's ass off1924

to go to town1933

to gie (or give) it laldy1974

the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > exert oneself or make an effort [verb (intransitive)]

tillc897

stightlea1375

stretcha1375

wrestlea1382

to put it forthc1390

to put one's hand(s) to (also unto)a1398

paina1400

takea1400

to do one's busy pain (also care, cure, diligence)?a1430

to make great force?c1450

makec1485

to stir one's stumpsa1500

to bestir one's stumps1549

to make work1574

put1596

bestira1616

operate1650

to lay out1659

to be at pains1709

exerta1749

tew1787

maul1821

to take (the) trouble1830

to pull outc1835

bother1840

trouble1880

to buck up1890

hump1897

to go somea1911

a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) II. ii. 24 He had evidently been ‘going some’ for several days; the sour, worn, haggard face..suggested a moth-eaten jaguar.

1912 J. Sandilands Western Canad. Dict. & Phrase-bk. at Some That's going some may mean great speed or excellence of workmanship, or it may even be used in reference to the speed at which a person races to his ruin.

1915 P. G. Wodehouse Psmith, Journalist x. 71 I guess we're making a hit. Cosy Moments is going some now.

1966 ‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 173 He had the easy movements of the retriever, and for a big dog could go some.

1973 J. Wainwright Touch of Malice 8 A uniformed inspector..with..less than five years service under his belt. Jesus—that was going some!

1982 H. Lieberman Night Call viii. 47 He'd known the girl for two months; for Daughtry that was going some.

3. dialect and U.S. With adjectives (rarely with adverbs): Somewhat.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb] > somewhat

somedealc725

halfc1175

somewhatc1175

somethingc1275

little whatc1384

somedeallyc1400

measurablec1420

somewhatlyc1450

somewisec1450

somepartc1485

parta1500

something1548

rather1573

some1575

rathera1684

sunket1686

somethingisha1726

measurably1756

rather1770

rather1772

somec1780

sumthin1786

wee1816

sumfin1852

sumptin1852

measuredly1860

sumpin1889

part-way1954

ish1986

c1780 in Amer. Speech 1969 (1973) 44 304 Until it gets some darker.

1817 in Thornton Amer. Gloss. (at cited word) His clothes were some bloody.

1839 F. Marryat Diary in Amer. II. 226 ‘Are you cold, miss?’ said I to a young lady... ‘Some,’ was the reply.

1851 T. Sternberg Dial. & Folk-lore Northants. (at cited word) It war some wet.

1858–61 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. Sc. Life (1870) p. xxi The heat has made your skin some tender.

1913 C. E. Mulford Coming of Cassidy ii. 30 I've heard so much about Bradley's gun-play that I'm some curious.

1940 W. Faulkner Hamlet i. ii. 31 We had done been feeding it [sc. a horse] for two-three days now by forced draft..and it looked some better now than when we had brung it home.

1956 G. E. Evans Ask Fellows who cut Hay xxv. 231 An old worker..turned the handle and tried it with a few roots. Asked what he thought of it he said with conviction: ‘It's some stiff, maaster.’

1976 M. Machlin Pipeline iv. 44 He's going to be some pissed off when he finds out about this.

D. n.¹

An unspecified amount, person, thing, etc. rare.

ΚΠ

1830 J. Galt Lawrie Todd I. ii. v. 120 I have myself obstinacious objections—a considerable some—against 'em ere parley voos.

1850 L. Hunt Autobiogr. xxiv. 381 Some whim, some enjoyment,..with a thousand other somes and probabilities.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online September 2022).

单词	some
释义	† somen.² Etymology: Old English sóm , ablaut-variant of the stem sam- : see same adj. Obsolete. Agreement, concord, peace. Usually coupled with saught(ness) or sib. (Cf. some adj.²) ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > [noun] > some, any, or indefinite amount somec1000 anyOE somewhatc1175 a little wightc1275 society > society and the community > dissent > absence of dissension or peace > [noun] > concord sibsomenesseOE somec1000 somrednessa1250 accordc1275 onehead1340 unityc1384 concordc1386 accordance1388 union?1435 onement1454 greement1483 agreeance1525 agreement1529 atonementa1535 onenessa1575 onehood?1578 harmony1588 agreea1592 unison1606 commodation1643 bon-accordc1650 unisoniety1663 regalia1745 at-oneness1877 c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 198 Ðam dom-bocum þe se Heofenlica Wealdend his folce gesette to some, and to sehtnysse. a1011 Laws Ethelred (Liebermann) vi. 25 Beo eallum Cristenum mannum sibb and som gemæne, and ælc sacu totwæmed. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 313 Þis an þing..þet is god leouest. sachtnesse & some. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2045 Heo speken þer to sæhte to sibbe and to some. c1275 Holy Chirch 15 in Old Eng. Misc. For hi heolden cristes men myd sib and myd some. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2021). † somen.³ Etymology: < Old French some (modern French somme) horse-load. Obsolete. rare. The number of twelve thousand (nails or needles). The use survives in modern French (Littré at Somme). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > specific numbers > hundred and over > [noun] > twelve thousand some1539 1539–40 in Archaeologia Cantiana (1893) 20 243 2 ‘some’ of ‘sprygg’ 10s. 1545 Rates Custome House sig. bviij^v Nidels the some conteinynge, xii. M., x.s. 1545 Rates Custome House sig. ciij Patten nayles the some ii.s. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2021). somepron.adj.¹adv.n.¹ Brit. /sʌm/, /s(ə)m/, U.S. /səm/ Forms: Old English–1500s, 1800s dialect sum (1800s dialect zum), Middle English summ, Middle English, 1500s Scottish sume, summe; Middle English soumme, Middle English soume, Middle English (1800s dialect) soom; Middle English, 1600s, 1800s dialect som (Middle English zom, 1600s dialect z'om), Middle English somm, somp; Middle English–1500s somme, Middle English– some (Middle English, 1800s dialect zome). Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Common Germanic: Old English sum, = Old Frisian sum (North Frisian som), Middle Dutch som, zom (West Flemish som, zom), Old Saxon sum (Middle Low German sum, som), Old High German and Middle High German sum (German dialect sum, som, söm), Old Norse sumr (Icelandic sumur, Norwegian sum; Middle Swedish sum, som, Swedish somt neuter, Danish somme plural), Gothic sums; the stem is also found in Greek ἁμο- (as ἁμόθεν from some place) and Sanskrit sama any, every. The word has had greater currency in English than in the other Germanic languages, in some of which it is now restricted to dialect use, or represented only by derivatives or compounds, as West Frisian sommige, somlike, Dutch sommige (also somtiids, somwijlen sometimes), Low German sömige (German dialect summige). A. pron.For all and some, whole and some, see all adj., pron., n., adv., and conj. Phrases 5, whole adj. I. In singular uses. 1. †a. One or other of a number of persons; someone, somebody. In later use also in some or other. Obsolete. ΚΠ (a) OE Riddle 14 15 Hwilum folcwigan on wicge wegað, þonne ic winde sceal sincfag swelgan of sumes bosme. OE Beowulf 1432 Sumne Geata leod of flanbogan feores getwæfde. c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 37 Summes curteisie is iturnt hire to uuel. c1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 131 In þis place sum is Þat wolde telle þe kinge fore, and maken him mi fo. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v. x Whan somme good cometh to somme, it ought not to be reffused. 1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) xxiii. 107 Upon one hande some hath thombes twayne; And other also somtyme armes thre. 1579 T. Lodge Protogenes 33 I feare me some will blushe that readeth this, if he be bitten. 1729 G. Adams tr. Sophocles Antigone iii. i, in tr. Sophocles Trag. II. 39 Therefore..despise he [Antigone], and suffer the Girl to marry some among the Dead. (b)1631 P. Heylyn Hist. St. George 113 I wonder some or other hath not resolu'd the doubt.1664 D. Fleming in Extracts State Papers (Friends' Hist. Soc.) (1912) 3rd Ser. 213 I am halfe of opinion, that some or other hath abused him in this Letter.1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 34 Word, by some or other could not but be carried to the good King Shaddai. †b. Const. of (or gen. plural). Also of things. Obsolete. ΚΠ c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xviii. §2 He cyðde on sumre his boca ðætte þa get Romana nama ne come ofer þa muntas. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xiii. 25 Þa com his feonda sum & ofer-seow hit mid coccele. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) viii. 28 Sume [secgað] summe of þam witegum. c1100 Twelfth Cent. Hom. 134 Gif nu eower sum,..smeað hwæt god beo. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 15 Vor onneaþe yualþ þet me ne ualþ in-to þe þrote of zome of þe zeue heauedes. 1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 46 The Cutteries..have six and thirty Casts among themselves, from some of which none of them but is descended. 1656 R. Sanderson 20 Serm. 71 All such sins being easily reducible to some of the former three. c. In the phrase some of these (..) days, some day soon; before very long. ΘΚΠ the world > time > relative time > different time > [adverb] > at some future time or one day yeteOE hereafter1154 hereafterwardc1386 sometimec1386 oncea1393 whiloma1400 rather or latera1450 one of these daysa1470 one day1477 umquhile1489 in timea1500 with time?1531 sooner or later1577 odd shortly1681 some summer's day1697 first or last1700 some of these (‥) days1831 someday1898 down the road (also track)1924 1831 in W. I. Knapp Life G. Borrow (1899) I. 142 Young Simpson will be wanting an able assistant some of these days. 1848 J. H. Newman Loss & Gain i. xiv. 107 ‘We shall have you a papist some of these fine days,’ said he. 1851 G. Borrow Lavengro lxxiii I should not be surprised if he were to come back some of these days. †2. some…, some, one…, another. (Cf. A. 7.) ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > contrariety [phrase] > some... whereas some others... some…, somec888 some…, others (other)c950 some…(other) some1377 c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiii. §2 Þonne lufað sum ðæt, sum elles hwæt. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxv. 15 He sealde..sumum twa [pund], sumum an. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 4 For sum is strong. sum vn strong. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 834 Sum was king and sum kumeling. 1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis III. 14 For som schal singe and som schal syke. c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 2167 He moot be deed,..Som in his bed, som in the depe see. †3. With ordinal numbers: One of (or with) a specified number. Obsolete.For the use of the ordinal cf. German selbdritte, -vierte, etc. In Old English the genitive plural of the cardinal was employed, as syxa, eahta, twelfa sum: for the later history of this see -some suffix². ΚΠ a1225 Juliana 79 And te sea sencte him on his þrituðe sum ant þer to ȝet fowre. c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 817 He busked and made him ȝare Hi[m] fiftend som of kniȝt. a1400 Sir Beues 203 Him self was boute þe ferþe some Toward þat ferd. c1425 Eng. Conq. Irel. 32 Heruy of Mountmorthy, that to ham was ycome, hym thrydsome [v.r. thyrdsome] of knyghtes. 4. a. A certain indeterminate part of something; a portion. (†In early use frequently following a noun or pronoun, or predicative.) Also some…, some. ΚΠ c900 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker MS.) ann. 877 Þa..gefor se here on Miercna lond, & hit gedældon sum, & sum Ceolwulfe saldon. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) viii. 5 Þa he þæt seow, sum feoll wið þæne weg..And sum feoll ofer þæne stan. c1275 Prov. Hendyng 98 Ȝef thou hauest bred & ale,..Þou del hit sum aboute. 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 98 He hadde þer to Scropssire som & aluendel of warewik ssire. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 151 Amazonia..is som in Asia, and som in Europa. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 484/1 Sum, or sumwhat, or a part of a nowmyr or a noþer thynge. 1572 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Queen Elizabeth (1908) 162 Sum in Bowltes and sum by lb. 1588 T. Kyd tr. T. Tasso Housholders Philos. f. 4^v Some was roste, some was backt. 1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 Epil. 14 Bate me some, and I will pay you some. View more context for this quotation 1611 Bible (King James) Luke viii. 6 And some fell vpon a rocke, and..it withered away. View more context for this quotation 1796 C. Marshall Gardening (1813) xix. 371 As it is a small flower, pot some. b. Const. of (the thing specified). ΚΠ c1175 Lamb. Hom. 133 Sum of þe sede feol an uppe þe stane. 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 101 Som of gloucestressire & of warewikssire al so. 1560 Bible (Geneva) Lev. iv. 7 The Priest also shal put some of the blood..vpon the hornes of y^e altar. a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iv. iii. 96 Some of my shame, if you will know of me What man I am. View more context for this quotation a1641 J. Smyth Berkeley MSS (1885) III. 260 Ga'as zo'm of thuck bread. 1694 W. Congreve Double-dealer v. i. 78 Snuff some of my Spirit of Hartshorn. 1845 Encycl. Metrop. VIII. 762/1 In the act of drying, some of the lac is generally brought to the surface. 1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 6 Some of it, much of it, has ceased to be alive for us now. †c. (by) some and some, by little and little; by degrees; gradually. Obsolete. (Cf. A. 8b.) ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > slowness of action or operation > [phrase] > gradually or in stages footmealeOE (a, by) lite and litec1290 a little and a littlea1375 little and littlea1387 (by) some and some1398 by little and by littlea1425 little by little?a1425 littly?a1425 inchmeal1530 by small and small1558 by (a) little1577 gradatim1583 by lithe and lithe1592 by inchesa1616 inch by incha1616 to go slow1664 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Tollem. MS) xi. i Vapoures, þat beþ gaderid sum and sum in þe erþe. 1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomew de Glanville De Proprietatibus Rerum (Bodl.) xvii. cxliii Whan þe weþye is swiþe olde, þan he faileþ & roteþ somme and somme. 1602 J. Rhodes Answere Romish Rime sig. B4^v Your doctrine.., which did creepe Into the Church, by some and some. †d. some and some, something in return for something. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > time > change > exchange > [noun] > person or thing exchanged pricea1300 botchmenta1425 changinga1425 exchange1490 tit for tat1546 changeling?1548 some and some1573 tip for tap1573 quid pro quo1816 1573 G. Gascoigne Hearbes in Wks. (1907) I. 353 Recompence the lyke agayne: For some and some is honest playe. 1583 B. Melbancke Philotimus (new ed.) sig. Ti Thinke some and some is honest play. e. to get some: to have sexual intercourse; to succeed in finding a sexual partner. U.S. slang. ΘΚΠ the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual activity > engage in sexual activity [verb (intransitive)] > have sexual intercourse playOE to do (also work) one's kindc1225 bedc1315 couple1362 gendera1382 to go togetherc1390 to come togethera1398 meddlea1398 felterc1400 companya1425 swivec1440 japea1450 mellc1450 to have to do with (also mid, of, on)1474 engender1483 fuck?a1513 conversec1540 jostlec1540 confederate1557 coeate1576 jumble1582 mate1589 do1594 conjoin1597 grind1598 consortc1600 pair1603 to dance (a dance) between a pair of sheets1608 commix1610 cock1611 nibble1611 wap1611 bolstera1616 incorporate1622 truck1622 subagitate1623 occupya1626 minglec1630 copulate1632 fere1632 rut1637 joust1639 fanfreluche1653 carnalize1703 screw1725 pump1730 correspond1756 shag1770 hump1785 conjugate1790 diddle1879 to get some1889 fuckeec1890 jig-a-jig1896 perform1902 rabbit1919 jazz1920 sex1921 root1922 yentz1923 to make love1927 rock1931 mollock1932 to make (beautiful) music (together)1936 sleep1936 bang1937 lumber1938 to hop into bed (with)1951 to make out1951 ball1955 score1960 trick1965 to have it away1966 to roll in the hay1966 to get down1967 poontang1968 pork1968 shtup1969 shack1976 bonk1984 boink1985 1889 W. H. Herndon Let. 5 Jan. in E. Hertz Hidden Lincoln (1940) 233 Speed about 1839–40 was keeping a pretty woman in this city, and Lincoln, desirous to have a little, said to Speed: ‘Speed, do you know where I can get some?’ 1971 E. E. Landy Underground Dict. 88 Get some.., obtain sexual intercourse with someone. 1978 J. Krantz Scruples vi. 173 Since his last visit she was getting some, somewhere, he'd bet his life on it. f. and then some: and (plenty) more in addition. colloquial (chiefly U.S.). ΚΠ 1908 ‘Yeslah’ Tenderfoot S. Calif. ii. 22 It rains in sheets, in blankets, and in comforters, and then some. 1914 D. O. Barnett Let. in In Happy Memory (1915) 19 I picked them out with those glasses, and let them have it, and then some! 1931 T. E. Lawrence Let. 10 June (1938) 724 It..will be 12 guineas and then some! 1958 J. Cannan And be Villain i. 24 I waited till the train had gone out and then some. 1976 D. Clark Dread & Water ii. 51 People have got to talk... Tell us everything they know and then some. II. In plural senses. 5. a. An indefinite or unspecified (but not large) number of persons (or animals); certain persons not named or enumerated. Also some or other. ΚΠ c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xi. §1 Sume beoð swiðe æþele & widcuðe on heora gebyrdum. c950 Lindisf. Gosp. John vii. 44 Sumo..uilnadon gegrioppa hine. OE Beowulf 400 Sume þær bidon, heaðoreaf heoldon. 1154 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1137 Sume hi diden in crucethus. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 3 Heo urnen on-ȝein him..and summe mid ufele þeonke. a1250 Owl & Nightingale 1648 Summe of þe scheules makeþ. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13664 Heo sculleð beon islaȝene and summe quic iulaȝene. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 14739 Amang þir men..War sume þat duues boght and sald. c1440 Pallad. on Husb. ii. 283 Summe hem kepe Thre nyght in molten donge. 1450 W. Lomnor in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 35 Soom sey he wrotte moche thenke. 1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vi. 440 Thai ourtuk sum at the last, And thame forout mercy can sla. 1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 152 Neuer was Woolfe seene, many nor some. 1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. 117 Some there be that think how it was first founded by Amphitus. 1675 H. More in R. Ward Life (1710) 361 I do not wonder that some or other are now and then so strangely assaulted. 1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ix. 88 Some love scalded Gooseberries with them. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. i Some, my son, Would bid thee trust in time. 1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 121 It feeds on worms..and according to some, on roots. 1878 T. Hardy Return of Native I. i. iii. 45 I shouldn't have cared about the man, though some may say he's good-looking. b. Similarly of things. ΚΠ c975 Rushw. Gosp. Matt. xiii. 4 And þa he seow, sume gefeollun bi wæge & cuomun fuglas heofun & frætun. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 25 For þe ten hestes þet ich ibroken habbe summe oðer alle. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. xiii. 4 And the while he soweth, sum felden byside the weye. a1400–50 Alexander 568 It..raynes doune stanys,..And some as hoge as þi hede fra þe heuyn fallis. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 371 And so forth of manye othere staryng gouernauncis, semyng summe wijlde woode. 1547 A. Borde Breuiary of Helthe i. Pref. f. v^v Many obscure termes,..some & fewe beynge Araby wordes. 1588 W. Lambarde Eirenarcha (new ed.) iv. xix. 595 There be also certain matters..appropriated, some to any, and others to some one, of the generall Sessions. a1612 J. Harington Brief View Church of Eng. in Nugæ Antiquæ (1804) II. 47 Manie bowlts were roved after him, and some spitefullie feather'd. †c. With pronoun or noun in apposition. (Cf. B. 7b) Obsolete. ΚΠ c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. iv. vii[i]. 282 Þa sumu [v.r. sume] woe nu gemdon geþeodan in þis user ciriclice stær. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 64 Ac sume ge ne gelyfað. a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1101 Se cyng syððan scipa ut on sæ sende.., ac hi sume æft æt þære neode abruðon. c1275 Passion Our Lord 43 in Old Eng. Misc. 38 Summe hi weren wyse, and duden al bi his rede. 1609 W. Shakespeare Louers Complaint in Sonnets sig. K3^v Yet did I not as some my equals did Demaund of him. 1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iv. vii. 74 That I haue said to some my standers by. View more context for this quotation d. In possessive form. Now rare. ΚΠ 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Capio Sommes consciences beganne to pricke them. 1597 T. Beard Theatre Gods Iudgements i. xiv. 42 Somes lot it was to be torne in peeces. 1617 G. Webbe Pract. Quietness (ed. 2) xxvi. 380 Nor may I condemne all..for somes vnquietnesse. 1675 E. Wilson Spadacrene Dunelmensis 67 I fear I have spoken Ænigmatically..to somes understanding. 1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto XIII xxx. 70 Howsoe'er it shocks some's Self-love, there's safety in a crowd of coxcombs. 6. With of (persons or things). ΚΠ c875 in Old Eng. Texts 178 Ðæt he spræc to his liornæra sumum. c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xxviii. 11 Summe of ðæm haldendum cwomun in ða ceastra. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 43 Summe of þan monne sare wepeð. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6574 Sume off ure little flocc. Þatt lefeþþ upp o criste. c1275 Laȝamon Brut 12001 Somme of þaie sipes wonde mid þan wedere. 1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 9997 Lo here a tale for of ȝou sum. c1386 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Prol. 193 Somme of hem synke in to the ground. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 185 God wrouȝte tho myraclis in summe of tho placis more and ofter than in othere placis like. 1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur viii. xxxiii. 323 Somme of them were sore hurte. ?1562 Thersytes sig. A.iii Some of the giauntes before Noes floud. 1588 T. Kyd tr. T. Tasso Housholders Philos. f. 17^v A youth, who..doth serue to write and mannedge, some of their affaires. 1611 Bible (King James) Rom. xi. 17 If some of the branches bee broken off. View more context for this quotation 1664 S. Pepys Diary 19 Mar. (1971) V. 91 I spent the afternoon in paying some of the charges of the buriall. 1749 D. Hartley Observ. Man i. i. 63 Some or other of those vibrations which are excited in it. 1779 Mirror No. 31 Some of our most celebrated historians have committed errors of the first sort. 1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward III. x. 264 Bring that rascal forward some of you. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xvi. 715 Some of those who opposed the bill. 1891 E. Roper By Track & Trail xv. 217 Higher up..there are some of the most sublime scenes I have looked on anywhere. 7. a. some…, some, = Some…, others. (Cf. A. 2) †Formerly also in some…than some, some and some. ΚΠ (a) c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiii. §5 Sume beorhtor sume unbyrhtor, swa swa steorran. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) xii. 5 Sume hi beoton, sume hi of-slogon. 1154 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1140 Sume helden mid te king & sume mid þemperice. c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 101 Sume sitteð and sume ligeð and sume we stondeð. a1225 Leg. Kath. 37 Summe þurh muchele ȝeouen.., summe þurh fearlac. c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 948 Of summe þay smyte of legges & armes & of sum þe heuedes þay gerde. a1400 K. Alis. (W.) 2517 To divers castles he heom sent:..Some to Libye, some to Rome. a1400–50 Alexander 1330 All at he slayn fyndez, He makes to grave, some in grete, some in gray marbyll. 1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell 250 Some whispred, some rownyd, some spake, and some cryde. a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 64 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 97 Sum will me dulfully dicht Sum dyng me to deid. 1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 8 Some [fled] into Norway, and some into Denmarke, and some into one Countrie, and some into another. 1611 Bible (King James) Psalms xx. 7 Some trust in charets, and some in horses. View more context for this quotation 1690 W. Temple Ess. Gardens of Epicurus 11 in Miscellanea: 2nd Pt. Like Rover Shots, some nearer and some further off, but all at great Distance from the Mark. 1750 tr. C. Leonardus Mirror of Stones 130 For some are gold, some silver, others copper, and others iron. 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lexicon 122 Some are annular, some are reticulated, some are dotted, and some akin to spirals. 1855 C. Kingsley Westward Ho! xxv Some ran; some did not run. (b)1493 Chastysing Goddes Chyldern (de Worde) ii. sig. Aij/2 Our lorde withdraweth him fro some more than fro some.1527 Inventory Goods Henry Fitzroy 19 in Camden Misc. (1855) III Item, Counter~points of all sortes, some bygger than some.1547 tr. A. de Marcourt Bk. Marchauntes (new ed.) c vj b My marchants, of whome truely some be wilier than some.1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. xvi. 326 Some are wiser than some,..and some are worse than some.(c)a1529 J. Skelton Why come ye nat to Courte (?1545) 385 But there is some trauarse Bytwene some and some. b. So some…, others (†other). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > contrariety [phrase] > some... whereas some others... some…, somec888 some…, others (other)c950 some…(other) some1377 c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark xii. 5 Sume ðurscun, oðero æc ofslogon. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark xii. 5 Thei slowen him, and othere mo, betynge summe, but sleynge othere. 1588 T. Kyd tr. T. Tasso Housholders Philos. f. 14^v Some are naturally borne to commannde, and others to obey. 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 189 Some haue a smacke of Christ, others of Mahomet. 1696 in 13th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1892) App. VI. 41 By impowering some, and neglecting others. 1746 P. Francis tr. Horace Art of Poetry 491 Some Charm when nigh, Others at Distance more delight your Eye. 1868 C. M. Yonge Cameos lxxxviii, in Monthly Packet June 535 The burghers hurried out, some with the straight cross of France, others with the saltire of Burgundy. †c. Also some…, other some. Obsolete. ΚΠ 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 52 For sum wald haiff þe Balleoll king..And oþer sum nyt all þat cas. 1532 G. Hervet tr. Xenophon Treat. Househ. (1768) 74 For some haue gret plenty..and other some haue scantly so moche as they nede. 1585 T. Washington tr. N. de Nicolay Nauigations Turkie ii. xvi. 50 b Cesternes.., supported some by vaultes, and othersom by..pillars. 1611 Bible (King James) Acts xvii. 18 Some said, What will this babbler say? Other some, He seemeth to bee a setter foorth of strange gods. View more context for this quotation 1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 141 Some place it in the circle of the Moone..other some vnder the Circle of the Moone. 1700 S. L. tr. C. Frick Relation Voy. in tr. C. Frick & C. Schweitzer Relation Two Voy. E.-Indies 121 Some of 'em are far better than other some. †8. a. some after some, = A. 8b. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > plurality > fewness > [adverb] > at a time some after some1598 some and some1686 1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales iv. xvi. 115 Comming some after some, & dropping in by companies. b. some and some, a few at a time, gradually. Obsolete. (Cf. A. 4c.) ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > plurality > fewness > [adverb] > at a time some after some1598 some and some1686 1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 63 He put my Goods aboard, some and some, as he saw his Opportunity. 1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 238 They came dropping in, some and some, not in two Bodies and in Form.., but all in Heaps. 1769 G. White Let. 28 Feb. in Nat. Hist. Selborne (1789) 65 Persons that assert that the swallow kind disappear some and some gradually, as they come. B. adj.¹ I. With singular nouns. (See also sense B. 9c) †1. a. Of persons or places: A certain. Obsolete. ΚΠ c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. i Þa wæs sum consul,..Boetius wæs gehaten. 971 Blickl. Hom. 15 Þa sæt þær sum blind þearfa be ðon wege. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: John (Corpus Cambr.) xi. 1 Sum seoc man wæs genemned lazarus of bethania. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xviii. 2 Sum iuge was in sum citee... Forsothe sum widowe was in that citee. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke i. 5 Ther was sum prest, Zacharie by name, in the dayes of Eroude. a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) II. 87 Sum godlie man [sc. John Knox] was in the castell. †b. = one pron. 3b. Obsolete. ΚΠ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xxv. 19 Thei hadden aȝens hym summe questiouns..of sum Jhesu deed, whom Poul affermyde for to lyue. 1765 T. Hutchinson Hist. Colony Massachusets-Bay, 1628–91 (ed. 2) i. 86 A quo warranto had been brought by some Sir John Banks, attorney-general [etc.]. 2. a. One or other; an undetermined or unspecified. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [adjective] > not specified > some kind of or some > some or other somec888 some1615 somethingth1854 c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxvii. §2 Þæt mon hehð ænne heafodbeag gyldenne æt sumes ærneweges ende. c1000 Ælfric Lives Saints xxxi. 651 Martinus..wolde for sumere neode wið hine spræcan. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 228 Ðeȝȝ wisstenn þatt himm wass þatt daȝȝ Summ unncuþ sihhþe shæwedd. a1225 Leg. Kath. 811 Scheoteð forð sum word, & let us onswerien. c1250 Owl & Night. 1265 Naueþ mon no sikerhede Þat he ne may..adrede Þat sum vnhap neih him beo. a1300 Vox & Wolf in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) I. 62 For he thoute, mid soumme ginne, Him self houp [= up] bringe. a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 101 Þat hul is ful hiȝe, so þat snowe lyeth all wey in som side of þat hille. 1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) ii. l. 391 Thow Scot, abide. I trow thow be sum spy. 1528 W. Tyndale Obed. Christen Man f. lxxxix This worde sacramente..representeth allwaye some promise of God. 1581 J. Bell tr. W. Haddon & J. Foxe Against Jerome Osorius 360 b They rest their handes upon some staffe shaking and tremblyng. 1637 J. Milton Comus 17 Some neighbour wood man, or at worst Some roaving robber. 1665 S. Patrick Parable of Pilgrim xviii. 171 I believe you are desirous to have some list of these Enemies. 1725 W. Broome in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey II. viii. 180 Some mean sea-farer in pursuit of gain. 1780 Mirrour No. 94 Miss Sophia R. therefore keeps me right..or covers my deviations with some apology. 1825 W. Scott Talisman ii, in Tales Crusaders III. 20 They had even their knights, or some rank analogous. 1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset I. xxi. 177 I am going to ask him to put his case into some lawyer's hands. 1876 ‘Ouida’ In Winter City vi. 128 A triptych of some old fogey of a painter. b. In adverbial expressions of time and place, with or without a preposition.See also sometime adv., somewhere adv., somewhile adv. ΚΠ (a) c893 tr. Orosius Hist. i. i. 17 He sæde þæt he æt sumum cirre wolde fandian [etc.]. c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 62 Þa becom se apostol æt sumum sæle to þære byrig Pergamum. c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 185 Ðos feawe word seide ure drihten..at sume sele. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 39 David..meanede Insumme time þet ha wes ed start him. c1250 Owl & Night. 293 At sum syþe herde i telle hw Alured seyde on his spelle. c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Heb. ii. 6 Sum man witnesside in sum place. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 20981 He was sua stanid on sum dai, Vneths he bar lif a-way. a1400–50 Alexander 204 Suppos~and þaim in sum tyme for sothe to be knawen. a1400–50 Alexander (MS. D.) 755* He..stighillys hym in som stede a stable by hym one. 1616 B. Jonson Forrest xiii. 26 in Wks. I No lady, but, at some time, loues her glasse. (b)a900 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker MS.) ann. 896 Þa sume dæge rad se cyng up be þære eæ.a1400 Seuyn Sages (W.) 2936 Bot wele in hert he hoped ay That he sold hir se sum day.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13185 Men mai yeitt se sun sted in france [etc.].a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 956 I hete to sende hit ȝou sum tide.1550 Reg. Privy Council Scotl. I. 88 He hopis sum day to see his sone [etc.].a1822 P. B. Shelley Charles I ii, in Wks. (1870) II. 389 His Grace..expects to enter the New Jerusalem some Palm Sunday in triumph.1845 R. Browning Home Thoughts from Abroad i, in Bells & Pomegranates No. VII: Dramatic Romances & Lyrics 8/2 And who wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware [etc.].1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies i. 25 I see it is true; or if I do not now, I hope I shall, some day. c. With the indefiniteness emphasized by the addition of or other (cf. other pron. and n. 5a), or another. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [adjective] > not specified > some kind of or some > some or other somec888 some1615 somethingth1854 1615 W. Bedwell Arabian Trudgman in tr. Mohammedis Imposturæ sig. K4 How oft..shal you not meet with some exoticke and strange terme or other? a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) i. ii. 95 By some deuise or other, The villaine is ore-wrought of all my monie. 1697 J. Dryden Ded. Æneis in tr. Virgil Wks. sig. a3^v Yet all this while I have been Sailing with some side-wind or other toward the Point I propos'd in the beginning. 1736 Swift's Lett. (1768) IV. 171 I received yours some day or other this week. a1774 O. Goldsmith Surv. Exper. Philos. (1776) II. 14 Certain it is that the air is impregnated with salts of some kind or another. 1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 72 An impulse which will vent itself in some form or other. 1881 L. B. Walford Dick Netherby xii. 144 He must write some day or other. d. With adjectives used absolutely. rare. ΚΠ 1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Mar. 74 [I] Might see the mouing of some quicke, Whose shape appeared not. 1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd iii. ii The man's..possest With some nae good. e. In suggestive or euphemistic use. ΚΠ 1725 A. Ramsay Gentle Shepherd v. iii She's baith a slee and a revengfu' bitch, And that my some-place [= posteriors] finds. †3. Used with an indefinite or generalizing force similar to that of the plural (sense A. 7). Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > generality > [adjective] > not specified > some kind of or some somec888 somekinc1175 c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiv. §10 Sumes wuda eard bið on dunum. c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 322 Sumum men he forgifð wisdom and spræce, sumum god ingehyd, sumum micelne geleafan. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 10226 For þan was sum man god dredand. 1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 64 The ape..is wyser in clergie than somme preest. 1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) ii. 298 Sum man for erynes will trymbill, Quhen he assayit is sodanly. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ecclus. vi. 9 And there is some frende that turneth to enemyte, and taketh parte agaynst the. 1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ecclus. xx. 5 Some man kepeth sylence, and is founde wyse. 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Alburnum, the fatte that is in some tree. 1638 F. Junius Painting of Ancients 103 In some regard they tooke speciall notice of the difference of wits. 4. a. A certain (unspecified) amount, part, degree, or extent of (something), frequently implying ‘not little, considerable’. †In Old English also with the, his, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > [adjective] > some or any somec888 alleOE anyOE the world > relative properties > quantity > [adjective] > some or any > some at least somec888 certainc1540 c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxiv. §4 Nis nan man þætte sumes eacan ne ðyrfe. c893 tr. Orosius Hist. iii. x. 140 He beæftan gebad mid sumum þæm fultume. c920 Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 913 Sum his fultum worhte þa burg. a1200 Moral Ode 25 in Old Eng. Hom. I. 161 Sendeð sum god bi-foren eow, þe hwile þet ȝe muȝen, to houene. c1275 XI Pains of Hell 290 in Old Eng. Misc. 220 Poul knelid adowne..And prayd..Fore þe soulis in hel sum ryst haue þer. 1375 in Horstmann Altengl. Leg. (1878) 125/1 Bote rys, & go we eft wiþ mod For to seken vs sum fod. 1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. iii. 128 Þat god wolde were ydo with-oute som deceite. ?c1440 Pol., Rel., & L. Poems (1903) 246 Lord! sende me sum ‘amor’ sede. ?1478 W. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 649 He praythe yow to sende hym sum mony. 1562 in F. J. Furnivall Child-marriages, Divorces, & Ratifications Diocese Chester (1897) 189 He came thither to get somme threde. 1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 244 When this haile some heate, from Hermia, felt. View more context for this quotation 1650 Earl of Monmouth tr. J. F. Senault Man become Guilty 345 These wise men..mought have some cognizance of the truth. 1677 A. Marvell Season. Argument in Wks. (1776) II. 562 Where he feathered his nest to some purpose. 1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 100. ⁋1 He immediately calls for some Posset-drink for him. 1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 106. ⁋5 A Person of good Sense and some Learning. 1761–2 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) IV. lxi. 589 Some state was up~held, but with little expense. 1831 W. Scott Castle Dangerous v, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. III. 300 His master..had been a man of some reading. 1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 191 In the neighbourhood..was some copsewood and some pasture land. 1890 Law Times Rep. 63 767/1 There is some variation in the mode in which the custom is stated. b. With partitive terms, as part, degree, etc.See also somedeal n., adv., and adj., somepart adv., somewhat adv. ΚΠ c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 13553 Iff ye haue ferkit any fode to þis frith now,..ges me som part. 1567 W. Allen Treat. Def. Priesthod 306 To geue pardon..is to release some parte, or all the enioyned penaunce. 1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 56 For I trow..sum part salbe thyne. 1648 in S. R. Gardiner Hamilton Papers (1880) 226 It is beliued that som parte of the caus is from Scotland. 1780 Mirror No. 82 But I can venture to assert, with some degree of confidence, that [etc.]. 1826 D. Booth Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 2 I admit this to be correct advice, in some measure. 1870 J. E. T. Rogers Hist. Gleanings 2nd Ser. 7 Some part of its authority was due to its prestige. c. With terms of time or space. ΚΠ (a) c900 tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (1890) v. xii. 432 Þa ic sume tid fram ðe gewat [etc.]. c1060 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (MS. C) ann. 1055 Hig..wendan..ut on Wealas, & þær lagon sume hwile. a1200 Moral Ode 147 in Old Eng. Hom. I. 169 Hefð he ifonded [it] summe stunde, he wolde al seggen oðer. a1225 Leg. Kath. 8 Constantin ferde..in to Fronclonde, & wunede summe hwile þear. c1275 in Old Eng. Misc. 89 Þo heo stod ful vaste, and seoþþe sume stunde. c1400 Pilgr. Sowle (1483) iii. viii. 55 Al be hit that for somtyme theyr lewd lyf displesid to them seluen. a1648 Ld. Herbert Life (1976) 15 He that can forbeare speaking for some while will remitt much of his Passion. 1658 J. Webb tr. G. de Costes de La Calprenède Hymen's Præludia: 8th Pt. viii. i. 147 [He] continued sometime in the designe. 1710 J. Addison Spectator No. 12. ¶1 It was some time before I could settle my self in a House to my likeing. 1747 in E. H. Burton Life Bp. Challoner (1909) I. xiv. 223 I sent the lessons some time ago to Paris. ?1838 Hist. Berwickshire Naturalists' Club 1 No. 6. 173 After lying some time among weedy rocks. 1845 R. C. Trench Fitness Holy Script. i. 16 No doubt for some while the Church did exist with a canon not full formed. 1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon I. 315 Basil hesitated for some time. (b)1594 H. Plat Jewell House 4 An earthern vessel of some receipte.a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 262 'Twixt which Regions There is some space. View more context for this quotation1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho III. xi. 380 At some distance, among these woods, stood a pavilion.1820 J. Milner Suppl. Mem. Eng. Catholics 313 These authors answered the challenge, each of them in a work of some length.1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. App. 503 The ancient frontier..lies some way to the north.1869 H. F. Tozer Res. Highlands of Turkey I. 10 The town..is a place of some size. d. With adjectives, as little, small, considerable, etc. ΚΠ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds xv. 33 Sothli sum litil tyme maad there, thei weren dismittid..with pees of bretheren. ?1592 Trag. Solyman & Perseda ii. i I haue some little replie, if neede require. 1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet ii. ii. 14 That you voutsafe your rest heere in our Court Some little time. View more context for this quotation 1626 in Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS: Var. Coll. (1907) IV. 171 The necessitie of useing some small quantitie of bay salt therein. 1716 B. Church Entertaining Passages Philip's War ii. 72 Several of his men..was gone some considerable time. 1792 Gentleman's Mag. 13/2 The bridge..is some little distance from the main street of Duffield. 1825 W. Scott Betrothed xii, in Tales Crusaders II. 237 Suppose him returning some brief time hence. a1834 S. T. Coleridge Lit. Remains (1836) II. 198 Perhaps, the influence of a princess..may be some little excuse for Albany's weakness. 1902 Encycl. Brit. XXVIII. 407/1 Fishes..which swim some little distance above the actual sea-bed. e. U.S. In predicative use: Of some account; deserving of consideration. With quot. a1848 cf. the U.S. colloquial phrase some pumpkins s.v. pumpkin n. 2b. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > worthy of notice > of considering estimable1576 sensible1581 esteemable1612 considerablea1631 some1844 thoughtworthy1846 1844 Spirit of Times 30 Nov. 474/1 Many people have an idea that the ‘big mare’ will be ‘some’ in the race. 1845 Knickerbocker Mag. 25 273 The way he put in the licks was some! a1848 G. F. Ruxton Life in Far West (1849) ii. 60 She's ‘some’ now, that is a fact, and the biggest kind of punkin at that. 1849 in J. R. Bartlett Dict. Americanisms (1859) (at cited word) Which was admitted by the oldest inhabitant to be ‘some’ in the way of cold winters. 1850 N. Kingsley Diary 159 [He] has taken out this afternoon 30 ounces of amalgam, which I think is some for this bar. 1850 N. Kingsley Diary 163 He took out over 80 ounces in amalgam; this is some & no mistake. 1860 J. G. Holland Miss Gilbert's Career xii. 218 Good boy!.. You're some, that's a fact. 1876 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Tom Sawyer i. 22 Smarty! You think you're some, now, don't you. 1888 ‘C. E. Craddock’ Broomsedge Cove xix. 346 The weather is getting to be ‘some’ if not more, aint it? 1890 Dial. Notes 1 70 To say of a woman that ‘she looks some’, with emphasis on the some.., is equivalent to saying that she looks remarkably well. f. Quite a; a remarkable. Used meiotically, often ironically, to suggest that something or someone is worthy of consideration. some hope(s)!: see hope n.¹ 4a originally U.S. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > very great > and remarkable outnumenc1225 whata1325 outnemea1400 excessive1477 superiora1500 supernatural?1537 supereminent?1563 extraordinary1572 no mean ——1580 metaphysical1589 superhumana1629 uncommon1700 unco1724 some1808 hellacious1847 helluva1905 (a) hang of a1941 the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [adjective] > worthy of notice > of considering > ironically some1808 1808 J. Mackintosh in Mem. Life Sir J. Mackintosh (1835) I. viii. 448 You know that Bossuet and Arnauld believed their innocence—some authority. 1855 ‘Q. K. P. Doesticks’ Doesticks, what he Says iv. 28 It was ‘some’ bridge, in fact, a considerable curiosity, and a ‘considerable’ bridge. 1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 80 They're some geologists, he added with unwilling admiration. 1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 108 Butte is some education, believe me. 1915 H. Rosher In Royal Naval Air Service (1916) 87 I have written up her raids inside the fuselage—(1) Friedrichshafen, (2) Zeebrugge, (3) Ostend, (4) Ostend again, and (5) Hoboken—some record! 1915 H. Rosher In Royal Naval Air Service (1916) 90 Windows were broken in the streets all round—‘some’ mess, I can tell you. 1915 Evening News 25 Jan. 3/3 A man whose cheery optimism will make him crack a joke in the small hours when things are bad and his best pals have gone..is ‘some’ soldier. 1922 A. A. Milne Red House Myst. vii. 60 She's an actress, some actress too. 1923 S. Donoghue Just my Story 270 Forty miles in fifty-five minutes! ‘Some’ driver, Lucien. 1925 F. S. Fitzgerald Great Gatsby iii. 60 He smiled with jovial condescension, and added ‘some sensation!’ Whereupon everybody laughed. 1931 J. Brophy & E. Partridge Songs & Slang Brit. Soldier: 1914–1918 (ed. 3) 359 Some hopes!, it is most unlikely! 1941 W. S. Churchill Unrelenting Struggle (1942) 345 When I warned them [sc. the French Government] that Britain would fight on alone whatever they did, their Generals told their Prime Minister and his divided Cabinet: ‘In three weeks England will have her neck wrung like a chicken.’ Some chicken! Some neck! 1958 ‘J. Byrom’ Or be he Dead v. 69 ‘I gather you have Miss Canning as your assistant sleuth!’ .. ‘Some hope’..a good secretary always has to be in love with her boss!’ 1976 A. Price War Game i. 66 ‘David has us to console him.’.. ‘Some consolation!’ murmured Frances. 1977 J. Wainwright Do Nothin' x. 176 ‘Some band,’ murmurs Ted—and there is suppressed excitement in his voice. I say, ‘Ted—believe me—this is going to be some band.’ 5. some other adj. (see other adj. 5b). ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > difference > [adjective] > different, other, or further some otherc950 otherOE anotherc1175 secondc1480 c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xvii. 12 Mið-ðy innfoerde sum oðer werc. c1000 Ælfric Lives Saints xxxi. 691 Se ylca sulpicius and sum oðer broðor. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7476 Þatt teȝȝ..sholldenn..farenn ham till here land All wiþþ summ oþerr weȝȝe. 1303 R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne 3470 As yn cherche to synge or rede, Or of sum oþer holy dede. 1362 W. Langland Piers Plowman A. viii. 34 Sette scolers to scole or to sum oþer craft. c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 302 He which is ouerer..schulde louȝe him silf in sum other maner. 1562 P. Whitehorne Certain Waies Orderyng Souldiers f. 6, in tr. N. Machiavelli Arte of Warre The residue of the men..may be placed some other where. 1596 Raigne of Edward III sig. I2 O that I were some other countryman. View more context for this quotation 1611 Bible (King James) 1 Cor. xv. 37 It may chance of wheat, or of some other graine. View more context for this quotation 1640 tr. G. S. du Verdier Love & Armes Greeke Princes ii. 193 I will take the power to love some otherwhere. 1680 R. L'Estrange tr. Erasmus 20 Select Colloquies xiii. 189 He concluded to take some other Priest along with him. 1733 A. Pope Ess. Man i. 64 One single [movement] can its End produce, Yet serves to second too some other Use. a1845 T. Hood Poems (1846) II. 69 [To] forbear their privacy and seek some other where. 1858 N. Hawthorne Ancestral Footstep (1883) 514 The old Hospitaller must die in his bed, or some other how. 6. Followed by certain or one with limiting force (cf. one adj. 3a). ΚΠ 1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer iv. sig. Qq.iiii In case some certeine Circe shoulde tourne into wilde beastes all the Frenche Kinges subiectes. 1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Vnus aliquis, some one man. a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. v. 5 A man is..neuer welcome to a place, till some certaine shot be paid. View more context for this quotation 1655 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. I. ii. 3 Respiring flames at some certain part. 1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles ii. i. 53 Some certain Point should finish the Debate. 1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles ii. i. 76 In some one Excellence their Merit lies. 1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies ii. 156 She should..follow at least some one path of scientific attainment. II. With plural nouns. 7. a. Certain (taken individually).Also with limiting terms as certain, other: cf. senses A. 5, A. 6. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] > a particular or certain somec888 oneeOE certain138. some certain1561 c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxv Þæt ælc gesceaft bið healdon locen wið hire gecynde,..buton monnum & sumum englum. a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1119 Wæs mycel eorðbifung on suman steodan her on lande. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11214 Affterr þatt sume wise menn. O lare. itt unnderrstanndenn. c1250 Owl & Night. 879 Þeyh summe men beon þurhut gode. 1340 Ayenbite (1866) 196 Zom uolk byeþ þet onworþeþ þe poure. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 19550 Þof summen mai baptise, Mai naman..Conferming giue, bot biscop hand. 1493 Chastysing Goddes Chyldern (de Worde) xx. sig. Ei/2 In somm outwarde signes the prophecye of the deuyll may be knowen. a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 132 Sum Pryncis ther bene, that..takyn atte har talent trew men goodis. 1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Bvi Some persons..wyll muse or maruell. 1562 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 23 The durris..wes calket also with sum notes of dishonour. 1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. iv. 118 Some certaine dregs of conscience are yet with in me. View more context for this quotation 1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan iv. xlvi. 374 Some..bodies sink naturally downwards. 1696 C. Leslie Snake in Grass 88 I wou'd advise some Friends to go to the Dancing-School, and learn a more Gentle and Graceful Mien. 1723 Duke of Wharton True Briton No. 24. ¶29 I have heard some People very large in their Exclamations against Creeds and Forms of Faith. 1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 23/1 Some days he has violent purgings, at other times he gets better. 1826 D. Booth Art of Brewing (ed. 2) 15 Some gentlemen, however,..have studied the subject more particularly. 1855 J. Phillips Man. Geol. 498 Oligoclase occurs in some granites. 1867 J. Ruskin Time & Tide i. §3 Every nation is fitted..for some particular employments or manufactures. †b. With article or pronoun accompanying the noun. (Cf. sense A. 5c) Obsolete. ΚΠ c893 tr. Orosius Hist. i. i. 18 Þa teð hie brohton sume þæm cyninge. c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 448 Ge magon gehyran sume his ðeawes. c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) ix. 3 Ða cwædon hig sume þa boceras him betwynan. c1120 Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 1119 Sume þa castelas he mid strengðe genam. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 5988 Summe þe scipen [c1300 Otho somme of þaie sipes] wunden forð mid þan wederen. 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 2718 So þat some þe messagers to kermerdin come. c. some…(other) some, some…other(s). †Also with than, and elliptical for sometimes. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > relationship > contrariety or contrast > contrariety [phrase] > some... whereas some others... some…, somec888 some…, others (other)c950 some…(other) some1377 c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxiv. §10 Sumra wyrta..eard bið on dunum,..sumra on merscum, sumra on morum. c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 48 Sume lareowas sindon beteran ðonne sume. 1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xv. 95 Þere somme bowes ben leued and somme bereth none. 1430–40 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes ix. xxxviii L'Envoi, Some folke appayre, some dothe amende. 1551 W. Turner New Herball sig. Kiij^v In sum placies Cicuta is much stronger then in other sum. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iii. iii. 19 Sometimes her head on one side, some another. View more context for this quotation 1651 C. Cartwright Certamen Religiosum i. 42 Some think that the English translation..in some places takes away, in other places addes, and other-some places changes the meaning. 1770 C. Jenner Placid Man II. v. v. 126 It makes some folks prouder than othersome. 1854 M. Oliphant Magdalen Hepburn III. 105 These might be rude missionaries, in some cases, but in other some, they were the highest of heart, and noblest of spirit. 1875 W. D. Parish Dict. Sussex Dial. (at cited word) Sometimes my old gal's better than what she be othersome. 8. a. A certain number of; a few at least. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > plurality > [adjective] somec950 somea1122 sundryc1275 diverse1387 divers1393 diverse and sundry1484 plurala1538 various and sundry1652 several?1661 several-fold1833 pluralistic1837 a1122 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) ann. 1048 Ða he wæs sume mila oððe mare beheonan Dofran, þa dyde he on his byrnan. 1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. xix. 190 I know..Your some sweete smiles, your some, but louely lowrs.a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 145 They hurried vs a-boord a Barke, Bore vs some Leagues to Sea. View more context for this quotation1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 208 Some flaggons of rich wine, some very white bisket, some pruines and raisins.1726 G. Shelvocke Voy. round World ii. 30 To dig a small garden to sow some lettices, and other sort of sallading.1785 Mrs. Grant of Laggan Lett. Mount. (1807) II. 96 The house has no other inhabitant at present than an old Sybil..and some legions of rooks and daws.1822 W. Scott Fortunes of Nigel I. x. 265 It costs but..the journey of some brief days.1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 95 The middle and hinder ones die after some weeks' struggle for existence.1887 Field 12 Nov. 734/2 Displaying his science by some beautiful casts. b. In adverbial expressions of time. ΚΠ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Deeds x. 48 Thanne thei preieden him, that he schulde dwelle with hem summe dayes. 1602 in J. Morris Troubles Catholic Forefathers (1872) (modernized text) 1st Ser. i. iv. 192 My abode..hath been for some years..in London.1661 in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 6 Gervise Lucas served..as gentleman of his horse some years.1709 D. Manley Secret Mem. 194 A comical Adventure happen'd to her some Nights ago.1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 322. ⁋2 Some Years ago it happened that [etc.].1821 T. Moore Mem. (1853) III. 273 Have not been very well these some days past.1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. iv. xxix. 277 We shall meet with better feelings some months hence.1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon I. 119 He has been here some years. c. With addition of few. ΚΠ 1582 W. Allen Briefe Hist. Glorious Martyrdom sig. e8, 8^v This blessed man..of whose life I thought good to set downe some few lines also. 1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §470 If some few Pertusions be made in the Pot. 1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xiv. sig. Ff6^v We..caught more in some few Minutes than we had taken in a whole hour before. 1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 66 For some few gasping moments. 1847 G. Grote Hist. Greece IV. ii.xxv. 11 They had some few towns. 9. a. Used with numbers to indicate an approximate amount or estimate, and passing into an adverb with the sense ‘about, nearly, approximately’. Also U.S., following a numeral. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > approximate quantity or amount > [adjective] somec888 the world > relative properties > quantity > approximate quantity or amount > [adverb] somec888 aboutOE thereabouts1413 thereabout1534 thereby1563 nearabout1567 thereupona1676 thereaway1815 nearabouts1834 somewheres1859 let us say1863 the world > relative properties > number > enumeration, reckoning, or calculation > [adjective] > numbered or reckoned > approximately round1600 some1968 c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxviii. §1 Þa wæron hi sume ten gear on þam gewinne. c900 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker MS.) ann. 896 Þær wurdon..sume feower cyninges þegnas ofslægene. c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14463 Þa wunede bi-ȝeonde þere Hunbre..drenches sume sixe. 1567 J. Maplet Greene Forest f. 84^v The floud Ganges hath Eles some 30 Foote long. 1582 in W. H. Turner Select. Rec. Oxf. (1880) 424 Some three or fower acres of woode. 1632 P. Massinger & N. Field Fatall Dowry ii. sig. E They skip into my Lords cast skins some twice a yeere. 1671 J. Dryden Evening's Love ii. 18 I have some 300 Pistols by me. 1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 165 It's now some nine-an'-twenty year. 1836 J. W. Carlyle Lett. I. 56 We expect John Carlyle in some ten days. 1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies i. 80 This collection..would probably have been some thousand or twelve hundred pounds. 1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 648 The club consists of some 40 members. 1968 Time 19 Jan. 7/2 Twenty-some years ago, when I was a nurse on the U.S.S. Hope. 1971 R. A. Carter Manhattan Primitive (1972) xi. 104 He's thirty years old, with..a master's degree and forty-some hours towards a doctorate. 1980 in S. Terkel Amer. Dreams 2 There were sixty-some contestants from all over the place. b. With numerals denoting the time of day. ΘΚΠ the world > time > particular time > [adverb] > at a particular or certain time > approximately > a particular time of day somea1616 a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iv. iii. 185 I thinke 'tis now some seuen a clocke. View more context for this quotation 1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxxii. 277 At some ten o'clock the clinking of a sabre might have been heard. c. Hence with singular nouns expressing time, distance, amount, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > time > particular time > [adverb] > at a particular or certain time > approximately thereabout1297 thereabouts1561 thenabouts1589 some1595 hereabout1675 somewhere1839 (a) 1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet v. iii. 255 When I came, some minute ere the time Of her awakening. View more context for this quotation 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice iii. ii. 9 I would detaine you heere some moneth or two. View more context for this quotation 1819 R. Southey Select. from Lett. (1856) III. 348 A note from Murray some fortnight ago let me know [etc.]. 1875 B. Meadows Clin. Observ. 20 Face..not so free as some week or two back. (b)1595 Drake's Voy. (1849) 7 We came to anchor some saker shott from a forte.1603 R. Johnson tr. G. Botero Hist. Descr. Worlde 86 Distant from the towne some halfe mile.1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 191 Some halfe musket shot distance.1857 T. Hughes Tom Brown's School Days i. iii. 71 Which was distant some mile or so from the school.1883 C. J. Wills In Land of Lion & Sun 203 Some mile and a half through the deserted streets.(c)1846 S. Wilberforce Speeches on Missions (1874) 98 In order that the English people might buy that luxury some penny a pound cheaper. III. With other, one, few, etc., used absolutely. 10. In singular and plural. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > number > plurality > [adjective] somec950 somea1122 sundryc1275 diverse1387 divers1393 diverse and sundry1484 plurala1538 various and sundry1652 several?1661 several-fold1833 pluralistic1837 (a) c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Matt. xiii. 4 Sum oðer gefeollon neh woeg. c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke ix. 27 Sint sume oðera her stondað ðaðe [etc.]. 1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope v The leche whiche wylle hele somme other, ought fyrste to hele hym self. 1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vi. xv. 7 Sum wtheris better can thair causis pleid. ?1592 Trag. Solyman & Perseda iv. ii I would my maister had left some other to be his agent here. 1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 53 Some other in the meane time playing with his nose, and bobbing him in the face. 1762 O. Goldsmith Citizen of World I. 51 There is Seneca, and Bolingbroke, and some others. (b)1546 Supplic. Poor Commons 85 Perhappes some one of vs hathe hylded C. shepe.1599 R. Hakluyt tr. Odoric of Pordenone in Princ. Navigations (new ed.) II. i. 56 Most rich & precious stones, some one of which is of more value then a whole kingdome.1886 C. E. Pascoe London of To-day (ed. 3) xlii. 366 To admire and covet, if not to buy, some one of its treasures.(c)1582 W. Allen Briefe Hist. Glorious Martyrdom sig. d7^v Meaning by the state..the wealfare of some few..vpholden by this new religion.1621 R. Montagu Diatribæ Hist. Tithes 526 Vnlesse some few, & Many in your language be all one.a1648 Ld. Herbert Life Henry VIII (1649) 397 The use that may be made of some few, as two or three in every Shire.1735 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 106/1 Some few were well dress'd.1875 A. Helps Social Pressure ix. 124 We think—at least, some few of us do—that [etc.].(d)a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) i. iii. 121 Some certaine of the Noblest minded Romans. View more context for this quotationa1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) ii. iii. 54 Some certaine of your Brethren. View more context for this quotation C. adv. (See also sense B. 9) 1. With comparatives: A little; slightly; somewhat. Chiefly Scottish and northern. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb] > somewhat somedealc725 halfc1175 somewhatc1175 somethingc1275 little whatc1384 somedeallyc1400 measurablec1420 somewhatlyc1450 somewisec1450 somepartc1485 parta1500 something1548 rather1573 some1575 rathera1684 sunket1686 somethingisha1726 measurably1756 rather1770 rather1772 somec1780 sumthin1786 wee1816 sumfin1852 sumptin1852 measuredly1860 sumpin1889 part-way1954 ish1986 1575 J. Rolland Treat. Court Venus i. f. 13 Quhill time this corps be sum better applyit. 1636 S. Rutherford Lett. (1863) I. 172 My Well-beloved is some kinder..than ordinary. 1667 O. Heywood Heart-treasure xvi. 219 I am rich still, as rich as ever I was, and some richer. 1741 A. Monro Anat. Human Bones (ed. 3) 207 The superior bulbous Part of this Bone forms some less than the inferior Half of that..Cavity. 1786 R. Burns Poems 217 I hope we..ken some better. 1807 P. Gass Jrnls. 219 Yesterday we gave him an Indian sweat, and he is some better to day. 1894 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words She's some better thi day. 2. With verbs: a. A certain amount; a little. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb] > a certain amount or a little some1699 1699 O. Heywood Autobiogr., Diaries, & Event Bks. (1885) IV. 162 She bled some still. 1821 Joseph the Book-man 17 Joe in his day had travell'd some. 1822 J. Hogg Tales & Sketches (1837) VI. 272 He spoke some to himself likewise, but it was only one short sentence. 1834 J. Hall Kentucky II. 40 I hunt some, and snake a little. 1842 C. Dickens in J. Forster Life Dickens iii. iv He may walk some, perhaps—not much. 1909 Lady's Realm Feb. 468/2 He hunted some, and fished some. b. U.S. To some extent; in some degree; somewhat. The variations of American usage are very fully illustrated in Thornton's Amer. Gloss. (1912) 827–9. ΚΠ 1745 J. Emerson Jrnl. 8 Apr. in Proc. Mass. Hist. Soc. (1911) XLIV. 74 I read some in Watson. 1785 Massachusetts Spy 28 Apr. 2/3 (advt.) A tall stout looking fellow,..stammers some in his speech. 1817 in Hist. Coll. Essex Inst. (1866) VIII. 228 The material of which it is built looks some like marble. 1825 in Thornton Amer. Gloss. (at cited word) [You are] on the huffy order, some, to night. 1843 J. G. Whittier in S. T. Pickard Life & Lett. J. G. Whittier (1894) I. 281 I think some of attending the great anti-slavery convention. 1863 E. Dicey Six Months in Federal States I. 225 It used to amuse me some..to find that the slaveholders wanted more territory [etc.]. 1889 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 206 Having been troubled some of late to get clear results. c. U.S. In emphatic use: Very much, very well, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > very tooc888 swith971 wellOE wellOE fullOE rightc1175 muchc1225 wellac1275 gainlya1375 endlyc1440 hard?1440 very1448 odda1500 great1535 jolly1549 fellc1600 veryvery1649 gooda1655 vastly1664 strange1667 bloody1676 ever so1686 heartily1727 real1771 precious1775 quarely1805 murry1818 très1819 freely1820 powerfula1822 gurt1824 almighty1830 heap1832 all-fired1833 gradely1850 real1856 bonny1857 heavens1858 veddy1859 canny1867 some1867 oh-so1881 storming1883 spanking1886 socking1896 hefty1898 velly1898 fair dinkum1904 plurry1907 Pygmalion1914 dinkum1915 beaucoup1918 dirty1920 molto1923 snorting1924 honking1929 hellishing1931 thumpingly1948 way1965 mega1966 mondo1968 seriously1970 totally1972 mucho1978 stonking1990 1867 J. R. Lowell Biglow Papers 2nd Ser. (new ed.) p. lxi Thet night, I tell ye, she looked some! 1894 ‘G. Egerton’ Keynotes 9 ‘How you love young things!’ she says. ‘Some.’ d. to go some: to go well or fast; to do well; to work hard. slang (originally U.S.). ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > act or do vigorously [verb (intransitive)] twig1573 to go at ——1675 to go it1794 to come it1796 to lay it on thick1806 to blaze away1826 bushwhack1837 steam1842 split1844 rustle1882 to work like a demon1884 yank1888 go-at-it1904 to go somea1911 to put a jerk in it1919 to go (also do) one's (also a) dinger1923 to work (etc.) one's ass off1924 to go to town1933 to gie (or give) it laldy1974 the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > exert oneself or make an effort [verb (intransitive)] tillc897 stightlea1375 stretcha1375 wrestlea1382 to put it forthc1390 to put one's hand(s) to (also unto)a1398 paina1400 takea1400 to do one's busy pain (also care, cure, diligence)?a1430 to make great force?c1450 makec1485 to stir one's stumpsa1500 to bestir one's stumps1549 to make work1574 put1596 bestira1616 operate1650 to lay out1659 to be at pains1709 exerta1749 tew1787 maul1821 to take (the) trouble1830 to pull outc1835 bother1840 trouble1880 to buck up1890 hump1897 to go somea1911 a1911 D. G. Phillips Susan Lenox (1917) II. ii. 24 He had evidently been ‘going some’ for several days; the sour, worn, haggard face..suggested a moth-eaten jaguar. 1912 J. Sandilands Western Canad. Dict. & Phrase-bk. at Some That's going some may mean great speed or excellence of workmanship, or it may even be used in reference to the speed at which a person races to his ruin. 1915 P. G. Wodehouse Psmith, Journalist x. 71 I guess we're making a hit. Cosy Moments is going some now. 1966 ‘J. Hackston’ Father clears Out 173 He had the easy movements of the retriever, and for a big dog could go some. 1973 J. Wainwright Touch of Malice 8 A uniformed inspector..with..less than five years service under his belt. Jesus—that was going some! 1982 H. Lieberman Night Call viii. 47 He'd known the girl for two months; for Daughtry that was going some. 3. dialect and U.S. With adjectives (rarely with adverbs): Somewhat. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adverb] > somewhat somedealc725 halfc1175 somewhatc1175 somethingc1275 little whatc1384 somedeallyc1400 measurablec1420 somewhatlyc1450 somewisec1450 somepartc1485 parta1500 something1548 rather1573 some1575 rathera1684 sunket1686 somethingisha1726 measurably1756 rather1770 rather1772 somec1780 sumthin1786 wee1816 sumfin1852 sumptin1852 measuredly1860 sumpin1889 part-way1954 ish1986 c1780 in Amer. Speech 1969 (1973) 44 304 Until it gets some darker. 1817 in Thornton Amer. Gloss. (at cited word) His clothes were some bloody. 1839 F. Marryat Diary in Amer. II. 226 ‘Are you cold, miss?’ said I to a young lady... ‘Some,’ was the reply. 1851 T. Sternberg Dial. & Folk-lore Northants. (at cited word) It war some wet. 1858–61 E. B. Ramsay Reminisc. Sc. Life (1870) p. xxi The heat has made your skin some tender. 1913 C. E. Mulford Coming of Cassidy ii. 30 I've heard so much about Bradley's gun-play that I'm some curious. 1940 W. Faulkner Hamlet i. ii. 31 We had done been feeding it [sc. a horse] for two-three days now by forced draft..and it looked some better now than when we had brung it home. 1956 G. E. Evans Ask Fellows who cut Hay xxv. 231 An old worker..turned the handle and tried it with a few roots. Asked what he thought of it he said with conviction: ‘It's some stiff, maaster.’ 1976 M. Machlin Pipeline iv. 44 He's going to be some pissed off when he finds out about this. D. n.¹ An unspecified amount, person, thing, etc. rare. ΚΠ 1830 J. Galt Lawrie Todd I. ii. v. 120 I have myself obstinacious objections—a considerable some—against 'em ere parley voos. 1850 L. Hunt Autobiogr. xxiv. 381 Some whim, some enjoyment,..with a thousand other somes and probabilities. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online September 2022). † someadj.² Etymology: Reduced form of i-som adj. Obsolete. 1. United, reconciled; at peace, friendly. Chiefly in saught and some. (Cf. some n.²) ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > peace > [adjective] > at peace saught956 somec1275 warless1436 society > society and the community > dissent > absence of dissension or peace > [adjective] > not at variance saught956 i-somOE oneOE somec1275 agreeing1440 undividedc1440 concordant1477 agreed1484 agreeablea1525 one-hearted?1584 undistracteda1649 c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4928 Þus heo weoren sahte & þus heo weoren some. c1320 Cast. Love 520 I chul fleon and neuere come. Bote my sustren ben sauȝt and some. c1320 Cast. Love 552 Maken Ichulle..Pees and Riht cussen and be sauȝt and some. a1400 Chron. R. Glouc. (Rolls) 52 Of þe folc of denemarch þat ȝuyt ne buþ nouȝt some. 2. Characterized by peacefulness or quiet. ΘΚΠ the world > action or operation > inaction > quietness or tranquillity > [adjective] stillc1275 coyc1330 restful1340 quieta1382 peaceablec1384 peacefula1400 undisturbleda1400 somec1460 quietous1528 reposeda1533 unnoyed1543 calma1568 halcyon1570 calmya1586 quietsome1595 halcyonian1602 undisturbeda1610 halcedonian1611 tranquila1616 tranquillous1638 slumbering1645 halcydon1648 smooth1757 slumberous1765 stilly1776 sleeping1785 unfrenzied1805 Sabbath-like1824 unbustling1826 eddyless1862 restinga1865 pacific1865 Sabbatismal1881 c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 3233 And eke of thy condicioune both sofft & some. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2021). > see also also refers to : -somesuffix¹ also refers to : -somesuffix² also refers to : -somesuffix³ also refers to : -somecomb. form < n.²c1000n.³1539pron.adj.¹adv.n.¹c875adj.²c1275 see also
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† somen.2

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somepron.adj.1adv.n.1

† someadj.2

> see also

† somen.²

† somen.³

somepron.adj.¹adv.n.¹

† someadj.²