am, v.
(æm, əm, (ə)m, m)
1st sing. pres. ind. of vb. be. Am, and its inflections art, is, are, are the only parts of the original substantive vb. (Skr. as-, Gr. εσ-, L. es-, Goth. is-, i-) now left in Eng.; the pa. tense ind. and subj. being supplied from a different vb. (stem wis-, wes-, Skr. was- to remain, abide: see was); and all the other parts from a third vb. be Skr. bhū-, Gr. ϕυ-, L. fu-, fy- to become). As the latter, although its association with the substantive vb. is very recent, supplies the infinitive, the vb. is now usually as a whole called the vb. to be, under which its forms and uses will be found.