wem

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /wɛm/

Etymology 1

From Middle English wem, wemme, from Old English wamm (“stain, spot, scar, disgrace, defect, defilement, sin, evil, crime, injury, loss, hurt, misfortune”), from Proto-Germanic *wammaz (“stain, spot”), from Proto-Indo-European *wem- (“to spew, vomit”). Cognate with Icelandic vamm (“loss, damage”), Latin vomō (“vomit”, v) (English vomit), Ancient Greek ἐμέω (eméō, “I spew”) (English emesis), Lithuanian vemti (“to vomit”), Sanskrit वमति (vamati, “to vomit”)

Alternative forms

• weam, weem
• wame, wan (Scotland)

Noun

wem (plural wems)

1. (UK dialectal) A spot; stain; mark; scar; weal; bruise.
2. (UK dialectal) A (moral) blemish; fault; blemish; taint.
3. (UK dialectal) Neglect; damage.

Derived terms

• wemless
• wemmy

Etymology 2

From Middle English wemmen, from Old English wemman (“to defile, besmirch, profane, injure, ill-treat, destroy, abuse, revile”), from Proto-Germanic *wammijaną (“to stain”), from Proto-Indo-European *wem- (“to spew, vomit”).

Verb

wem (third-person singular simple present wems, present participle wemming, simple past and past participle wemmed)

1. (transitive, UK dialectal) To injure or disfigure; blemish; mark; scar.
2. (transitive, UK dialectal) To defile; pollute; corrupt; vitiate.
3. (transitive, UK dialectal) To violate (one's word).

Derived terms

• wemmed
• wemming

Anagrams

• mew

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German

Pronunciation

• IPA: /veːm/

Pronoun

wem

1. (interrogative) dative of wer, (to) whom (indirect object).