Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Hem

Hem

(hĕm)
,
p
ron.
[OE., fr. AS.
him
,
heom
, dative pl. of.
hē
he. See
He
,
They
.]
Them
[Obs.]
Chaucer.

Hem

,
int
erj.
An onomatopoetic word used as an expression of hesitation, doubt, etc. It is often a sort of voluntary half cough, loud or subdued, and would perhaps be better expressed by hm.
Cough or cry
hem
, if anybody come.
Shakespeare

Hem

,
Noun.
An utterance or sound of the voice, hem or hm, often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.
“His morning hems.”
Spectator.

Hem

,
Verb.
I.
[√15. See
Hem
,
int
erj.
]
To make the sound expressed by the word hem; hence, to hesitate in speaking.
Hem, and stroke thy beard.”
Shak.

Hem

,
Noun.
[AS.
hem
, border, margin; cf. Fries.
hämel
, Prov. G.
hammel
hem of mire or dirt.]
1.
The edge or border of a garment or cloth, doubled over and sewed, to strengthen it and prevent raveling.
2.
Border; edge; margin.
Hem of the sea.”
Shak.
3.
A border made on sheet-metal ware by doubling over the edge of the sheet, to stiffen it and remove the sharp edge.

Hem

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Hemmed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Hemming
.]
1.
To form a hem or border to; to fold and sew down the edge of.
Wordsworth.
2.
To border; to edge
All the skirt about
Was
hemmed
with golden fringe.
Spenser.
To hem about
,
To hem around
, or
To hem in
,
to inclose and confine; to surround; to environ.
“With valiant squadrons round about to hem.”
Fairfax.
Hemmed in to be a spoil to tyranny.”
Daniel.
To hem out
,
to shut out.
“You can not hem me out of London.”
J. Webster.

Webster 1828 Edition


Hem

HEM

, n.
1.
The border of a garment, doubled and sewed to strengthen it and prevent the raveling of the threads.
2.
Edge; border. Matt.9.
3.
A particular sound of the human voice, expressed by the word hem.

HEM

,
Verb.
T.
To form a hem or border; to fold and sew down the edge of cloth to strengthen it.
1.
To border; to edge.
All the skirt about
Was hemm'd with golden fringe.
To hem in, to inclose and confine; to surround; to environ. The troops were hemmed in by the enemy. Sometimes perhaps to hem about or round, may be used in a like sense.

HEM

,
Verb.
I.
To make the sound expressed by the word hem.

Definition 2024


hem

hem

See also: hẻm, 'hem, and hem-

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hɛm/
  • Rhymes: -ɛm
  • Homophone: him (pin-pen merger)

Interjection

hem!

  1. Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound.

See also

Noun

hem (plural hems)

  1. An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.
    • Spectator
      his morning hems

Verb

hem (third-person singular simple present hems, present participle hemming, simple past and past participle hemmed)

  1. To make the sound expressed by the word hem; to hesitate in speaking.
    • Shakespeare
      Hem, and stroke thy beard.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English hem, hemm, in turn from Old English hemm and related to Middle High German hemmen (to hem in), Old Norse hemja (to hem in, restrain). The Proto-Indo-European root gave rise also to Armenian քամել (kʿamel, to press, wring) and Russian ком (kom, lump).

Noun

A stitched hem.
Drawing of a sheet metal hem.

hem (plural hems)

  1. (sewing) The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying.
  2. A rim or margin of something.
    • Shakespeare
      hem of the sea
  3. In sheet metal design, a rim or edge folded back on itself to create a smooth edge and to increase strength or rigidity.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

hem (third-person singular simple present hems, present participle hemming, simple past and past participle hemmed)

  1. (intransitive) (in sewing) To make a hem.
  2. (transitive): To put hem on an article of clothing, to edge or put a border on something.
  3. (transitive): To surround something or someone in a confining way.
Translations

Related terms

Etymology 3

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.

Pronoun

hem

  1. Obsolete form of 'em.
    • Reginald Pecock (c.1450)
      Three trowings or opinions be causes and grounds of many and of well nigh all the errors which many of the lay party hold, and by which holding they unjustly and overmuch wite and blame the clergy and all heir (their) other neighbors of the lay side, which not hold tho same errors accordingly with hem, and therefore it is much need for to first give business to unroot and overturn tho three trowings, holdings, or opinions, before the improving of other; sithen if tho three be sufficiently improved, that is to say, if it be sufficiently proved that tho three be nought and untrue and bad, all the other untrue opinions and holdings built upon hem or upon any of hem must needs thereby take heir fall, and lack it whereby they might in any color or seeming be maintained, held, and supported.
    • William Caxton (1481)
      And wente to the kinge and to the queene, and said to hem with a glad cheer.
    • William Caxton (1485)
      For eyther of hem mayntened.
    • Nisbet, M (1520-1535)
      He prayis hem to lyue releg[ious] lyff[is] and to luk waraly for the cummyng of the lord.
    • Edmund Spenser (1579)
      Tho to the greene wood they speeden hem all.
    • Ben Jonson (1598)
      Except we make hem such.
    • John Marston (1605)
      They go forth on Holydays and gather hem by the seashore.
    • Andrew Marvell (1661)
      The mayor and alderman or any six of hem.

Anagrams


Bislama

Alternative forms

Etymology

From English him

Pronoun

hem

  1. Third person singular pronun:
    1. he; she
    2. him; her
    3. his; her
    4. his; hers

Catalan

Verb

hem

  1. first-person plural present indicative form of haver

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hem, from Old Dutch himo, from Proto-Germanic *himmai.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɦɛm/

Pronoun

hem

  1. (personal) Third-person singular, masculine, objective: him.
    Stuur dat maar naar hem.
    Send that to him.

Inflection



Icelandic

Verb

hem (weak)

  1. first-person singular present indicative of hemja
  2. second-person singular imperative of hemja

Kurdish

Conjunction

hem

  1. and

See also

  • herwiha
  • û

Latin

Interjection

hem!

  1. eh?, well well! (expressing surprise)

Related terms

References


Middle English

Pronoun

hem

  1. them
    • 1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, pages 40–41
      And I seide, “Ser, in his tyme maister Ioon Wiclef was holden of ful many men the grettis clerk that thei knewen lyuynge vpon erthe. And therwith he was named, as I gesse worthili, a passing reuli man and an innocent in al his lyuynge. And herfore grete men of kunnynge and other also drowen myche to him, and comownede ofte with him. And thei sauouriden so his loore that thei wroten it bisili and enforsiden hem to rulen hem theraftir… Maister Ion Aston taughte and wroot acordingli and ful bisili, where and whanne and to whom he myghte, and he vsid it himsilf, I gesse, right perfyghtli vnto his lyues eende. Also Filip of Repintoun whilis he was a chanoun of Leycetre, Nycol Herforde, dane Geffrey of Pikeringe, monke of Biland and a maistir dyuynyte, and Ioon Purueye, and manye other whiche weren holden rightwise men and prudent, taughten and wroten bisili this forseide lore of Wiclef, and conformeden hem therto. And with alle these men I was ofte homli and I comownede with hem long tyme and fele, and so bifore alle othir men I chees wilfulli to be enformed bi hem and of hem, and speciali of Wiclef himsilf, as of the moost vertuous and goodlich wise man that I herde of owhere either knew. And herfore of Wicleef speciali and of these men I toke the lore whiche I haue taughte and purpose to lyue aftir, if God wole, to my lyues ende.”

Descendants


Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

hem

  1. imperative of hemme

Pijin

Alternative forms

Etymology

English him

Pronoun

hem

  1. he/she/it (third-person singular pronoun)
    • 1988, Geoffrey Miles White, Bikfala faet: olketa Solomon Aelanda rimembarem Wol Wo Tu, page 75:
      Bihaen hemi finisim skul blong hem, hemi go minista long sios long ples blong hem long 'Areo.

See also

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Portuguese

Interjection

hem

  1. Rare form of hein.

Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse heim < heimr, from Proto-Germanic *haimaz.

Pronunciation

Adverb

hem

  1. home; to one's home
    Det är dags att gå hem.
    It is time to go home.

Noun

hem n

  1. a home; one's dwelling place, as in a house or a more general geographical place; the abiding place of the affections.
  2. a home; an institution

Declension

Related terms

  • barndomshem
  • barnhem
  • fosterhem
  • fritidshem
  • föräldrahem
  • gästhem
  • hemadress
  • hemarbetande
  • hemarbete
  • hembageri
  • hembakad
  • hembakt
  • hembesök
  • hembio
  • hembiträde
  • hembjuda
  • hembrygd
  • hembryggd
  • hembränd
  • hembrännare
  • hembränning
  • hembränt
  • hembud
  • hemby
  • hembygd
  • hembyggd
  • hembygge
  • hembära
  • hembärning
  • hemdator
  • hemdragande
  • hemelektronik
  • hemfalla
  • hemflyttad
  • hemflyttning
  • hemforsla
  • hemforsling
  • hemfrakt
  • hemfrakta
  • hemfraktning
  • hemfrid
  • hemfärd
  • hemföra
  • hemförhållanden
  • hemföring
  • hemförlossning
  • hemförlova
  • hemförlovning
  • hemförsamling
  • hemförskaffa
  • hemförsäkring
  • hemförsäljning
  • hemgift
  • hemgjord
  • hemgående
  • hemgång
  • hemgången
  • hemhjälp
  • hemhjälpare
  • hemhörighet
  • hemifrån
  • hemikring
  • heminredare
  • heminredning
  • hemkalla
  • hemkallelse
  • hemkallning
  • hemkatalog
  • hemknutar
  • hemkokt
  • hemkommen
  • hemkommun
  • hemkomst
  • hemkonsulent
  • hemkunskap
  • hemkänsla
  • hemkär
  • hemkärlek
  • hemköp
  • hemköra
  • hemkörd
  • hemkörning
  • hemkört
  • hemlagad
  • hemland
  • hemlandskap
  • hemlig
  • hemligen
  • hemlighet
  • hemlik
  • hemlis
  • hemliv
  • hemlov
  • hemlån
  • hemlånad
  • hemlåning
  • hemlän
  • hemlängtan
  • hemläxa
  • hemlös
  • hemlöshet
  • hemma
  • hemman
  • hemmarsch
  • hemmiljö
  • hemnummer
  • hemom
  • hemomkring
  • hemort
  • hempermanent
  • hempermission
  • hempermittera
  • hempermittering
  • hemresa
  • hemsamarit
  • hemservice
  • hemsida
  • hemsjukvård
  • hemskicka
  • hemskickning
  • hemskild
  • hemskillnad
  • hemskydd
  • hemsläpa
  • hemslöjd
  • hemsnickrad
  • hemsocken
  • hemspråk
  • hemspunnen
  • hemstad
  • hemstickad
  • hemställa
  • hemställan
  • hemstöpt
  • hemsydd
  • hemsyssla
  • hemsända
  • hemsändning
  • hemsöka
  • hemsökelse
  • hemsömmerska
  • hemsömnad
  • hemtagning
  • hemtal
  • hemtam
  • hemteknisk
  • hemterminal
  • hemtextil
  • hemtextilier
  • hemtjänst
  • hemtrakt
  • hemtransport
  • hemtransportera
  • hemtrevlig
  • hemtrevnad
  • hemundervisning
  • hemuppgift
  • hemvan
  • hemvist
  • hemvård
  • hemvårdare
  • hemvårdarinna
  • hemväg
  • hemvända
  • hemvärn
  • hemvävd
  • hemåt
  • hemåtvändande
  • sjukhem
  • skolhem
  • soldathem
  • vandrarhem
  • ålderdomshem

References


Turkish

Etymology

Borrowing from Persian هم (ham).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /hem/

Adverb

hem

  1. and also

Conjunction

hem

  1. both; and
    Hem bu hem şuBoth this one and that one