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Hem
Definitions
- 1 Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound.
- 1 A surname.
- 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 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 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."
Etymology
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)
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, 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”).
See also for "hem"
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