hem
English
Etymology 1
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)
Pronunciation
Interjection
hem!
- Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound.
See also
Verb
hem (third-person singular simple present hems, present participle hemming, simple past and past participle hemmed)
- To make the sound expressed by the word hem; to hesitate in speaking.
- Shakespeare
- Hem, and stroke thy beard.
- Shakespeare
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 (k'amel, “to press, wring”) and Russian ком (kom, “lump”).
Noun
A stitched hem.
Drawing of a sheet metal hem.
hem (plural hems)
- (sewing) The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying.
- A rim or margin of something.
- In sheet metal design, a rim or edge folded back on itself to create a smooth edge and to increase strength or rigidity.
Translations
border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
|
rim or margin
Verb
hem (third-person singular simple present hems, present participle hemming, simple past and past participle hemmed)
- (intransitive) (in sewing) To make a hem.
- (transitive): To put hem on an article of clothing, to edge or put a border on something.
- (transitive): To surround something or someone in a confining way.
Translations
to make a hem
to put hem on an article of clothing
to surround something or someone in a confining way
Related terms
Etymology 3
Old English him, heom, originally a dative plural form but in Middle English coming to serve as an accusative plural as well.
Pronoun
hem
- Obsolete form of 'em.
Anagrams
Dutch
Etymology
From Middle Dutch hem, from Old Dutch himo, from Proto-Germanic *himmai.
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ɦɛm/
Pronoun
hem
- (personal) Third-person singular, masculine, objective: him.
- Stuur dat maar naar hem. — Send that to him.
Declension
| subject | object | possessive | reflexive | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| singular | full | unstr. | full | unstr. | full | unstr. | pred. | |
| 1st person | ik | 'k1 | mij | me | mijn | m'n1 | mijne | me |
| 2nd person | jij | je | jou | je | jouw | je | jouwe | je |
| 2nd person dialectal | gij | ge | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u |
| 2nd person formal | u | – | u | – | uw | – | uwe | zich |
| 3rd person masculine | hij | ie1 | hem | 'm1 | zijn | z'n1 | zijne | zich |
| 3rd person feminine | zij | ze | haar | 'r1, d'r1 | haar | 'r1, d'r1 | hare | zich |
| 3rd person neuter | het | 't1 | het | 't1 | zijn | z'n1 | zijne | zich |
| plural | ||||||||
| 1st person | wij | we | ons | – | ons, onze2 | – | onze | ons |
| 2nd person | jullie | je | jullie | je | jullie | je | – | je |
| 2nd person dialectal | gij | ge | u | – | uw | – | uwe | u |
| 2nd person formal | u | – | u | – | uw | – | uwe | zich |
| 3rd person | zij | ze | hen3, hun4 | ze | hun | – | hunne | zich |
| 1) Not as common in written language. 2) Inflected as an adjective. |
3) In prescriptivist use, used only as direct object (accusative). 4) In prescriptivist use, used only as indirect object (dative). |
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Latin
↑Jump back a sectionMiddle English
Pronoun
hem
- 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.”
- 1930, Mickey Mouse newspaper comic
- I wonder how far old Shyster and Peg-Leg Pete are now? Do you think we'll ever be able to overtake hem?
- 1407, The Testimony of William Thorpe, pages 40–41
Descendants
- English: them
Pijin
Alternative forms
Etymology
English him
Pronoun
hem
- he/she/it (third-person singular pronoun)
- 1988, Geoffrey Miles White, Bikfala faet: olketa Solomon Aelanda rimembarem Wol Wo Tu[1], page 75:
- Bihaen hemi finisim skul blong hem, hemi go minista long sios long ples blong hem long 'Areo.
- 1988, Geoffrey Miles White, Bikfala faet: olketa Solomon Aelanda rimembarem Wol Wo Tu[1], page 75:
See also
Pijin personal pronouns
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Swedish
Etymology
From Old Norse heim < heimr, from Proto-Germanic *haimaz.
Pronunciation
-
audio (file)
Adverb
hem
- home; to one's home
- Det är dags att gå hem.
- It is time to go home.
- Det är dags att gå hem.
Noun
hem n
- a home; one's dwelling place, as in a house or a more general geographical place; the abiding place of the affections.
- a home; an institution
Declension
Declension of hem
Related terms
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References
- hem in Svenska Akademiens Ordlista över svenska språket (13th ed., online)