Salem

//ˈseɪləm// name

name ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    The biblical place ruled by Melchizedek; mostly identified with Jerusalem.
  2. 2
    A town and district in Tamil Nadu, India.
  3. 3
    Any of several places in the USA:; The capital city of Oregon, United States and the county seat of Marion County.
  4. 4
    Any of several places in the USA:; A city, the county seat of Fulton County, Arkansas.
  5. 5
    Any of several places in the USA:; An unincorporated community in Pike County, Arkansas.
Show 14 more definitions
  1. 6
    Any of several places in the USA:; A census-designated place in Saline County, Arkansas.
  2. 7
    Any of several places in the USA:; A city, the county seat of Marion County, Illinois.
  3. 8
    Any of several places in the USA:; A city in Massachusetts, United States and one of the two county seats of Essex County; the site of infamous witch-hunts, trials and executions in 1692.
  4. 9
    Any of several places in the USA:; A city, the county seat of Washington County, Indiana.
  5. 10
    Any of several places in the USA:; A city, the county seat of Dent County, Missouri.

    "The third Iraq veteran -- 23-year-old Cloy Richards of Salem, Missouri, who was wounded in combat -- will avoid losing his disability benefits after agreeing not to wear his uniform at future protests, the Marine Corps said."

  6. 11
    Any of several places in the USA:; A city, the county seat of Salem County, New Jersey.
  7. 12
    Any of several places in the USA:; A town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire.
  8. 13
    Any of several places in the USA:; A city, the county seat of McCook County, South Dakota.
  9. 14
    Any of several places in the USA:; An independent city, the county seat of Roanoke County, Virginia.
  10. 15
    Any of several places in the USA:; An unincorporated community and former town, now in Salem Lakes, Kenosha County, Wisconsin.
  11. 16
    Any of several places in the USA:; A number of townships, listed under Salem Township.
  12. 17
    A municipality of Stockholm, Sweden.
  13. 18
    A town in Montserrat, which was evacuated and later resettled.
  14. 19
    A female given name from Hebrew.

Example

More examples

"When I was in Salem, I would often play tennis with John."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Biblical Hebrew שָׁלֵם (šālēm) (Genesis 14:18).

Etymology 2

From Tamil சேலம் (cēlam).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.