north. Obs. Forms: 3–4 sume, sim, 3–5 sum (3 summ, 5 sam), 4–5 som(e. [a. Scand. som, sum rel. adv. and pron. (MSw. som, sum, sym, Sw., Norw., Da. som), related to Icel. sem. Cf. OE. swá same (some), OHG. sô sama, sama sô. OS. samo sô likewise, as: see SAME a.]
1. orig. after swa so, swilk, sli such, all quite, just (cf. MSw. sva som, sliker som, alsom): As.
c. 1200. Ormin, Ded. 11. Icc hafe don swa summ þu badd. Ibid., 3499. He chæs himm sone kinness menn All swillke summ he wollde. Ibid., 5447. Þatt het forrȝife uss all rihht swa, Summ we forrȝifenn oþre All þatt teȝȝ gilltenn uss onnȝæn.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 259. Sli word and werc sum we til heild. Ibid., 6348. Water bitter sum [Fairf. sim] ani brin. Ibid., 16386. Sacles es he sa feir se sum i can.
c. 1420. Avow. Arth., x. Boudewynne turnes to toune, Sum that his gate lay.
c. 1420. Sir Amadace (Camden), lxix. My lenging is no lengur her, With tunge sum I the telle.
2. As a connecting particle with rel. prons., adjs. and advs., becoming a kind of separable suffix equivalent to -EVER, which was itself afterward added to it tautologically to form the separable suffix -somever (Cursor M., 21999), now dial. and superseded in literary use by -soever. See also WHOSOME, WHATSOME, etc.
c. 1100. Ormin, 1827. Whær summ we findenn o þe boc Enngell bi name nemmnedd. Ibid., 11404. Ure Laferrd Jesu Crist, Forrþrihht summ he wass fullhtnedd, Wass ledd ut inntill wessteland.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 1149. To quat contre sum [later MSS. so] þat þou wend. Ibid., 20632. In quatkin sinn sim þat þai be. Ibid. (13[?]), 11015 (Gött.). Sone sum [Cott. son quen] vr leuedi was mett wid þe angel … Scho went hir vte of nazareth.
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 1507. That ye be her This day twelmoth, how som it be.
c. 1400. Rule St. Benet (Prose), 14. In what dede sam ye be, loke þat yure þoht and ȝure herte be to god almihten.
