*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Sum

* As a Chinese surname: ** a pronunciation of 沈, see Shen. ** Also Romanized from 岑 (cén) based on the Cantonese pronunciation, see Cen. ** Variant Romanization of 覃, see Tan, Qin. * As a Cambodian/Khmer surname, from th

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In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

* As a Chinese surname: ** a pronunciation of 沈, see Shen. ** Also Romanized from 岑 (cén) based on the Cantonese pronunciation, see Cen. ** Variant Romanization of 覃, see Tan, Qin. * As a Cambodian/Khmer surname, from the name ស៊ុំ (sum), possibly from the Chinese above. * As a Slovene and Czech surname Šum, from šum (“noise”) or šum (“waterfall”), compare Shum. * As a Jewish surname, from Polish sum (“catfish”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionsumpl · catfish
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "yue",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Cantonese"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "km",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Khmer"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sl",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Slovene"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cs",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Czech"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "pl",
        "3": "sum",
        "t": "catfish"
      },
      "expansion": "Polish sum (“catfish”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "沈",
      "沈#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Shen",
      "Shen#English"
    ],
    [
      "岑",
      "岑#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Cen",
      "Cen#English"
    ],
    [
      "覃",
      "覃#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "Tan",
      "Tan#English"
    ],
    [
      "Qin",
      "Qin#English"
    ],
    [
      "ស៊ុំ",
      "ស៊ុំ#Khmer"
    ],
    [
      "Šum",
      "Šum#Czech"
    ],
    [
      "šum",
      "šum#Czech"
    ],
    [
      "šum",
      "šum#Slovene"
    ],
    [
      "Shum",
      "Shum#English"
    ],
    [
      "sum",
      "sum#Polish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "27481e3a788fde60c4a80b0232b85c3ae47c4f6a779027cdab5e8f282868cc6c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "57d168877d724ae15389bc92c542866ff4e7ed6046928a4e1d70500ff87427c3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6656608
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Sum →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-U3Vt