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some

[suhm; unstressed suh

–adjective

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

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

3.	of a certain unspecified number, amount, degree, etc.: to some extent.

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

5.	Informal. of impressive or remarkable quality, consequence, extent, etc.: That was some storm.

–pronoun

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.

–adverb

8.	(used with numerals and with words expressing degree, extent, etc.) approximately; about: Some 300 were present.

9.	Informal. to some degree or extent; somewhat: I like baseball some. She is feeling some better today.

10.	Informal. to a great degree or extent; considerably: That's going some.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME (adj. and pronoun); OE sum orig., someone; c. MLG, MHG sum, ON sumr, Goth sums

Usage note:
As pronouns, both some and any may be used in affirmative or negative questions: Will you (won't you) have some? Do you (don't you) have any? But some is used in affirmative statements and answers: You may have some. Yes, I'd like some. And in negative statements and answers, any is the usual choice: I don't care for any. No, I can't take any.

-some

a native English suffix formerly used in the formation of adjectives: quarrelsome; burdensome.

Origin:
ME; OE -sum; akin to Goth -sama, G -sam; see same

-some

a collective suffix used with numerals: twosome; threesome.

Origin:
ME -sum, OE sum; special use of some (pronoun)

-some

a combining form meaning “body,” used in the formation of compound words: chromosome.

Also, -soma.

Origin:
< Gk sôma body; see soma ¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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some (sŭm)

adj.

Being an unspecified number or quantity: Some people came into the room. Would you like some sugar?
Being a portion or an unspecified number or quantity of a whole or group: He likes some modern sculpture but not all.
Being a considerable number or quantity: She has been directing films for some years now.
Unknown or unspecified by name: Some man called.
Logic Being part and perhaps all of a class.
Informal Remarkable: She is some skier.

pron.

An indefinite or unspecified number or portion: We took some of the books to the auction. See Usage Note at every.
An indefinite additional quantity: did the assigned work and then some.

adv.

Approximately; about: Some 40 people attended the rally.
Informal Somewhat: some tired.

[Middle English, from Old English sum, a certain one; see sem-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Some

Some\ (s[u^]m), a. [OE. som, sum, AS. sum; akin to OS., OFries., & OHG. sum, OD. som, D. sommig, Icel. sumr, Dan. somme (pl.), Sw. somlige (pl.), Goth. sums, and E. same. [root]191. See Same, a., and cf. -some.]

1. Consisting of a greater or less portion or sum; composed of a quantity or number which is not stated; -- used to express an indefinite quantity or number; as, some wine; some water; some persons. Used also pronominally; as, I have some.

Some theoretical writers allege that there was a time when there was no such thing as society. --Blackstone.

2. A certain; one; -- indicating a person, thing, event, etc., as not known individually, or designated more specifically; as, some man, that is, some one man. "Some brighter clime." --Mrs. Barbauld.

Some man praiseth his neighbor by a wicked intent. --Chaucer.

Most gentlemen of property, at some period or other of their lives, are ambitious of representing their county in Parliament. --Blackstone.

3. Not much; a little; moderate; as, the censure was to some extent just.

4. About; near; more or less; -- used commonly with numerals, but formerly also with a singular substantive of time or distance; as, a village of some eighty houses; some two or three persons; some hour hence. --Shak.

The number slain on the rebel's part were some two thousand. --Bacon.

5. Considerable in number or quality. "Bore us some leagues to sea." --Shak.

On its outer point, some miles away. The lighthouse lifts its massive masonry. --Longfellow.

6. Certain; those of one part or portion; -- in distinct from other or others; as, some men believe one thing, and others another.

Some [seeds] fell among thorns; . . . but other fell into good ground. --Matt. xiii. 7, 8.

7. A part; a portion; -- used pronominally, and followed sometimes by of; as, some of our provisions.

Your edicts some reclaim from sins, But most your life and blest example wins. --Dryden.

All and some, one and all. See under All, adv. [Obs.]

Note: The illiterate in the United States and Scotland often use some as an adverb, instead of somewhat, or an equivalent expression; as, I am some tired; he is some better; it rains some, etc.

Some . . . some, one part . . . another part; these . . . those; -- used distributively.

Some to the shores do fly, Some to the woods, or whither fear advised. --Daniel.

Note: Formerly used also of single persons or things: this one . . . that one; one . . . another.

Some in his bed, some in the deep sea. --Chaucer.

Language Translation for : some

Spanish: algún, algo, cierto, unos, algunos, ciertos,

German: etwas,

Japanese: いくらかの

More Translations »

some

O.E. sum "some," from P.Gmc. *sumas (cf. O.S., O.Fris., O.H.G. sum, O.N. sumr, Goth. sums), from PIE base *sem- "one, as one" (cf. Skt. samah "even, level, similar, identical;" Gk. hamo-; see same).

"The word has had greater currency in English than in the other Teutonic languages, in some of which it is now restricted to dialect use, or represented only by derivatives or compounds, as WFris. sommige, somlike, Du. sommige (also somtiids, sommijlen 'sometimes'), LG sömige (G. dial. summige)." [OED]

Meaning "remarkable" is attested from 1808, Amer.Eng. colloquial. A possessive form is attested from 1565, but always was rare. Most combination forms were in M.E.; somehow is from 1664; something once was very common as an adv. (cf. something like). Somebody in the sense of "important person" dates from 1566. Somewhen is rare and since 19c. used almost exclusively in combination with more common compounds. Get some "have sexual intercourse" is attested 1899 in a quote attributed to Abe Lincoln from c.1840.

some

see and then some; catch some rays; catch some z's; dig up (some dirt); in a (some) sense; in some measure; one of these days (some day); take some doing; to some degree; win some, lose some.

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