godan verb (-mu), transitive verb
Archaic transitive verb for spinning bast fibers such as ramie or hemp. Not used in modern everyday language; replaced by 紡ぐ (つむぐ) or 紡績する (ぼうせきする).
昔の人は麻を績んで糸にした。
People long ago spun hemp into thread.
Archaic kanji spelling for spinning bast fibers; modern Japanese normally uses 紡ぐ (つむぐ) or 紡績 (ぼうせき).
The historical derivation is uncertain; the kanji 績 is conventionally associated with spinning and achievement, but the exact origin of the reading うむ is unclear.