† umbe-prefix

1. partly (in southern Middle English texts) representing Old English ymbe- (see umbe prep. and adv.), but chiefly either an extended form of umb- prefix (cf. umbe prep. and adv.) or a combination of um- prefix with be- prefix. Forms with the double prefix (ommebe- or ombe-) are very common in Middle Dutch, not infrequent in older Danish (ombe-), and occur occasionally in Middle Low German; it is possible that their prevalence in Middle Dutch may have contributed to the extensive use of such forms in Middle English. Originally the um- was probably added to verbs which already had the prefix be- (as beclip, belap, etc.), and in most cases the two forms (with be- and umbe-) coexist with the same signification. In addition to those treated as main words (viz. umbecast v., umbeclip v.¹, umbeclip v.², umbego v., umbelap v., umbelay v., umbeset v., umbethink v.) the following examples occur in Middle English texts chiefly of the 14th and 15th centuries:— Of these the following have parallels with the compound prefix (um-be-) in the cognate languages:—umbeclead, Middle Dutch ommebecleden (p.p. -cleet); umbegrip, older Danish ombegribe (cf. Middle Dutch ombegrijp n.); umbelie, Middle Low German ummebeliggen; umbelook, North Frisian ombiluke; umbelouk, Middle Dutch omme-, ombeluken (p.p. -beloken); umbeshine, Middle Dutch ombeschijnen; umbestand, North Frisian ombistunn, Middle Dutch omme-, ombestaen (p.p.); umbetigh, North Frisian ombitiin. Several of these, and many of the others, also correspond in sense to Old English formations with ymb- (less commonly ymbe-) or to equivalent forms in the other languages, e.g. umbecarve, Old English ymbceorfan; umbedelve, (Old English ymbgedelf n.), Middle Dutch and Dutch omdelven; umbegang, Old English ymbgangan, Old Frisian ummegunga, Old High German umbigangan, etc.: cf. the examples given under um- prefix.

2.