عم

Etymology 1
From.

Particle

 * 1) from what?
 * 2) about what?

Verb

 * 1) to be or become general
 * 2) to spread, to prevail

Verb

 * 1) to comprise, to include, to encompass, to pervade
 * 2) to extend, to stretch, to be diffused, to be prevailing
 * 1) to extend, to stretch, to be diffused, to be prevailing
 * 1) to extend, to stretch, to be diffused, to be prevailing

Noun

 * 1) paternal blood uncle one's father's brother
 * 2)   to an older person

Noun

 * 1) blind

Noun

 * 1)  Term of address to an older person
 * 1)  Term of address to an older person

Etymology 1
From.

Noun

 * 1) paternal uncle

Etymology 2
, an earlier form related to the verb. See also.

Usage notes

 * Can be negated with either or.
 * The distribution of the two pronunciations, as well as of the b-prefix on the verb, varies by speaker and region. (Note that neither of these variables has any bearing on the construction's meaning.) Common possibilities follow, demoed using the phrase "I'm eating, he's eating":
 * Verbs always appear with the prefix . Possibilities from here:
 * is used invariably:
 * is used when the precedes a vowel, and  when it precedes another consonant. This is to avoid a three-consonant cluster:
 * Verbs use the indicative prefix when it precedes a vowel, and omit it when it would precede a consonant. This too is to avoid a three-consonant cluster. Therefore,  is used invariably:
 * Verbs never use the indicative prefix . Therefore, is used invariably:
 * These are not constants, however. Speakers will often alternate between the options presented, even sometimes preserving the pronunciation unconditioned.

Etymology 1
From.

Noun

 * 1) paternal uncle father's brother
 * Endearing form:
 * 1) father-in-law

Etymology 2
, an earlier form related to the verb.

Usage notes

 * Although widely used, is technically emphatic and thus optional; the present tense can already refer to continuous actions.
 * In theory, would be followed by the present tense; however, the  non-past marker is usually elided to avoid a consonant cluster — yielding the subjunctive. However, note that the elision does not occur to 1st-person singular forms, and is optional in cases where  is realized as bit- (e.g. bitsawwi). Likewise, the elision does not occur at all when  is realized as ʕamma.