hem

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1 1.1.1 Pronunciation 1.1.2 Interjection 1.1.3 Noun 1.1.4 See also 1.2 Etymology 2 1.2.1 Noun 1.2.1.1 Translations 1.2.2 Verb 1.2.2.1 Translations 1.2.3 Related terms 1.3 Etymology 3 1.3.1 Pronoun 1.4 Anagrams 2 Dutch 2.1 Pronoun 2.1.1 Related terms 3 Latin 3.1 Interjection 3.1.1 Related terms 4 Swedish 4.1 Pronunciation 4.2 Noun 4.3 Adverb 4.4 See also 5 Turkish 5.1 Etymology 5.2 Adverb

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology 1

A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat

[edit] Pronunciation

•  Audio (US)^{help, file}
• Rhymes: -ɛm

[edit] Interjection

hem!

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

[edit] Noun

hem (plural hems)

1. Someone who is afraid of change to the point of total inaction. (From a book by Spencer Johnson, M.D., Who moved my cheese, about a character who was always against change.)

[edit] See also

• ahem
• haw

[edit] 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 PIE root gave rise also to Armenian քամել (k'amel), “‘to press, wring’”) and Russian ком (kom), “‘lump’”).

[edit] Noun

hem (plural hems)

1. The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together.
2. A rim or margin of something.

[edit] Translations

[edit] Verb

to 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. (intransitive) (in speaking) To make a sound like hem (usually coupled with "haw" as in "hemmed and hawed.")
3. (transitive): To put hem on an article of clothing, to edge or put a border on something.
4. (transitive): To surround something or someone in a confining way.

[edit] Translations

[edit] Related terms

• hemmed
• hemming
• hemmer

[edit] Etymology 3

Old English him, heom, originally a dative plural form but in Middle English coming to serve as an accusative plural as well.

[edit] Pronoun

hem

1. (obsolete) Them (typically after a preposition, or otherwise with accusative or dative force).

[edit] Anagrams

• Anagrams of ehm
• meh

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[edit] Dutch

[edit] Pronoun

hem

1. (personal) Third-person singular, masculine, objective: him.

   Stuur dat maar naar hem. — Send that to him.

[edit] Related terms

See Wiktionary:Dutch inflection

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[edit] Latin

[edit] Interjection

hem!

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

[edit] Related terms

• ehem

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[edit] Swedish

[edit] Pronunciation

•  audio^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

hem

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

[edit] Adverb

hem

1. to one's home

[edit] See also

• hemåt
• hemma
• heim
• ham
• hamlet
• holm
• haus
• house
• huse

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[edit] Turkish

[edit] Etymology

From Persian

[edit] Adverb

hem

1. and also