HM

See also: hm, .hm, h'm, H.M., ḥm, and ḫm

Translingual

Symbol

HM

1. (international standards) ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code for Heard Island and McDonald Islands.

   Synonym: HMD (alpha-3)

English

Alternative forms

• H.M., H. M.

Noun

HM (plural HMs)

1. Initialism of His Majesty (the title of a king).
2. Initialism of Her Majesty (the title of a queen).
3. (India, government) Initialism of Home Minister.
4. (military, US) Abbreviation of hospital corpsman.
5. (music) Abbreviation of heavy metal.
   • 1982 April 24, “Women of Iron”, in Gay Community News, page 10:

     When girls appropriate a male-dominated form like HM, can they discard its sexist content without replacing it with something else?

Usage notes

• When HM is used in the possesive (His Majesty's or Her Majesty's) to refer to parts of His/Her Majesty's Government (HMG) in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth realms, it remains spelt HM, not HM's. For example, HM Government (not HM's Government) is frequently used instead of HMG, particularly on signage and in logos.

• Similarly, when HMG is used in the possessive (to mean "His/Her Majesty's Government's"), it is written HMG, not HMG's.

• 2018 June 11, HM Government, “HMG personnel security controls”, in www.gov.uk‎^[2], London, archived from the original on 2021-10-26:

  HMG personnel security controls... This booklet describes the government's personnel security...

• HM is used both to save space and—especially in uses difficult to change, like signage—to avoid having to change it in the event of the death of a monarch changing His Majesty's to Her Majesty's or vice versa.

• 2021 October 30 (last accessed), HM Passport Office, “HM Passport Office”, in www.gov.uk‎^[3], London, archived from the original on 2021-10-27:

  HM Passport Office is the sole issuer of UK passports and responsible for civil registration services through the General Register Office.

Related terms

• HAM
• HCM
• HFM
• HGDH
• HH
• HI&RM
• HIll.H
• HMG
• HMS
• HRH
• HSH

Proper noun

HM

1. (computing theory) Initialism of Hindley-Milner.

Anagrams

• MH

Dutch

Alternative forms

• H.M.

Pronoun

HM

1. (title of a queen) Initialism of Hare Majesteit.

Related terms

• ZM (masculine)