-some

-some ¹

suff.

Characterized by a specified quality, condition, or action: bothersome.

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[Middle English -som, from Old English -sum, -like; see sem- in Indo-European roots.]

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-some ²

suff.

A group of a specified number of members: threesome.

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[Middle English -sum, from Old English sum, some; see some.]

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-some ³

suff.

1. Body: centrosome.

2. Chromosome: monosome.

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[From Greek sōma, body; see teuə- in Indo-European roots.]

-some

suffix forming adjectives

characterized by; tending to: awesome; tiresome.

[Old English -sum; related to Gothic -sama, German -sam]

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-some

suffix forming nouns

indicating a group of a specified number of members: threesome.

[Old English sum, special use of some (determiner)]

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-some

(-səʊm)

n combining form

a body: chromosome.

[from Greek sōma body]

some

(sʌm; unstressed səm)

adj.

1. being an undetermined or unspecified one: Some person may object.

2. certain (used with plural nouns): Some days I stay home.

3. unspecified in number, amount, degree, etc.: to some extent.

4. unspecified but considerable in number, amount, degree, etc.: We talked for some time.

5. Informal. remarkable of its type: That was some storm.

pron.

6. certain persons, individuals, instances, etc., not specified: Some think he is dead.

7. an unspecified number, amount, etc., as distinguished from the rest or in addition: He paid a thousand dollars and then some.

adv.

8. approximately; about: Some 300 were present.

9. to some degree or extent: I like baseball some.

[before 900; Middle English (adj. and pronoun); Old English sum orig., someone, c. Old Frisian, Old Saxon, Old High German sum, Old Norse sumr, Gothic sums]

-some¹

,

an adjective-forming suffix, now unproductive, with the meanings “like,” “tending to”: burdensome; quarrelsome.

[Middle English; Old English -sum, c. Old Frisian -sum; akin to Old Saxon, Old High German -sam, Old Norse -samr, Gothic -sams]

-some²

,

a collective suffix used with numerals: threesome.

[Middle English -sum, Old English sum some (pronoun)]

-some³

,

a combining form used in the names of structures or regions of a cell (chromosome; ribosome), chromosomes (autosome), or organisms having the form specified by the initial element (schistosome; trypanosome).

[< Greek sôma body; see soma¹]