Hem
intj, name, noun, pron, verb ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
- 1 An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.
"his morning hems"
- 2 The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying.
- 3 the edge of a piece of cloth; especially the finished edge that has been doubled under and stitched down wordnet
- 4 A rim or margin of something.
"Entombed upon the very hem o' th' sea"
- 5 the utterance of a sound similar to clearing the throat; intended to get attention, express hesitancy, fill a pause, hide embarrassment, warn a friend, etc. wordnet
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- 6 In sheet metal design, a rim or edge folded back on itself to create a smooth edge and to increase strength or rigidity.
- 1 To make the sound expressed by the word hem; to hesitate in speaking.
"Hem, and stroke thy beard."
- 2 To make a hem. intransitive
- 3 utter ‘hem’ or ‘ahem’ wordnet
- 4 To put hem on an article of clothing, to edge or put a border on something. transitive
- 5 fold over and sew together to provide with a hem wordnet
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- 6 To shut in, enclose, confine; to surround something or someone in a confining way. transitive
"A small yard hemmed about by a tall hedge."
- 1 Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound.
- 1 Obsolete form of 'em. alt-of, obsolete
"And wente to the kinge and to the queene, and said to hem with a glad cheer."
- 1 A surname.
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"I need you to take in the hem by about an inch."
Etymology
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)
From Middle English hem, hemm, in turn from Old English hem, of West Germanic origin, from Proto-West Germanic *hammjan from Proto-Germanic *hamjaną. Related to Middle High German hemmen (“to hem in”), Old Norse hemja (“to hem in, restrain”); outside of Germanic, to Armenian քամել (kʻamel, “to press, wring”), Russian ком (kom, “lump”). The verb is from Middle English hemmen, from Old English hemman, from Proto-Germanic *hamjaną, or alternatively derived from the noun.
From Middle English hem, from Old English heom (“them”, dative), originally a dative plural form but in Middle English coming to serve as an accusative plural as well. More at 'em.
From Khmer ហែម (haem, “to add, to supplement”).