English edit

 
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A baked ham (cured thigh of hog)

Etymology 1 edit

From Middle English hamme, from Old English hamm (inner or hind part of the knee, ham), from Proto-Germanic *hamō, *hammō, *hanmō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (leg).

Cognate with Dutch ham (ham), dialectal German Hamme (hind part of the knee, ham), dialectal Swedish ham (the hind part of the knee), Icelandic höm (the ham or haunch of a horse), Old Irish cnáim (bone), Ancient Greek κνήμη (knḗmē, shinbone). Compare gammon.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham (countable and uncountable, plural hams)

  1. (anatomy) The region back of the knee joint; the popliteal space; the hock.
  2. (countable) A thigh and buttock of an animal slaughtered for meat.
  3. (uncountable) Meat from the thigh of a hog cured for food.
    a little piece of ham for the cat
    • 2012, Audra Lilly Griffeth, A King's Daughter, →ISBN:
      She put some ham in the beans and cut up some sweet potatoes to boil.
  4. The back of the thigh.
  5. (Internet, informal, uncommon) Electronic mail that is wanted; mail that is not spam or junk mail.
    Synonym: ham e-mail
    Antonym: spam
Derived terms edit
Translations edit
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Etymology 2 edit

From Old English hām.

Noun edit

ham (uncountable)

  1. Obsolete form of home.
Usage notes edit
  • Persists in many old place names, such as Buckingham.

References edit

Etymology 3 edit

Uncertain, though it is generally agreed upon that it first appeared in print around the 1880s. At least four theories persist:

  • It came naturally from the word amateur. Deemed likely by Hendrickson (1997), but then the question would be why it took so long to pop up. He rejects the folk etymology of Cockney slang hamateur because it originated in American English.[1]
  • From the play Hamlet, where the title character was often played poorly and/or in an exaggerated manner. Also deemed likely by Hendrickson, though he raises the issue that the term would have likely been around earlier if this were case.
  • From the minstrel's practice of using ham fat to remove heavy black makeup used during performances.[2]
  • Shortened from hamfatter (inferior actor), said to derive from the 1863 minstrel show song The Ham-fat Man.[3] William and Mary Morris (1988) argue that it's not known whether the song inspired the term or the term inspired the song, but that they believe the latter is the case.

Noun edit

ham (plural hams)

  1. (acting) An overacting or amateurish performer; an actor with an especially showy or exaggerated style.
    Synonyms: hambone, hamfatter, overactor, tear-cat
    • 2023 June 13, Dwight Garner, quoting James Wood, “Cormac McCarthy, Novelist of a Darker America, Is Dead at 89”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
      Writing in The New Yorker in 2005, James Wood praised Mr. McCarthy as “a colossally gifted writer” and “one of the great hams of American prose, who delights in producing a histrionic rhetoric that brilliantly ventriloquizes the King James Bible, Shakespearean and Jacobean tragedy, Melville, Conrad, and Faulkner.”
  2. (radio) An amateur radio operator.
    Synonym: radio amateur
Derived terms edit
Translations edit

Verb edit

ham (third-person singular simple present hams, present participle hamming, simple past and past participle hammed)

  1. (acting) To overact; to act with exaggerated emotions.
Synonyms edit
Translations edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Hendrickson, Robert (1997) The Facts on File encyclopedia of word and phrase origins, New York: Facts on File, →ISBN
  2. ^ Morris, William (1988) Morris dictionary of word and phrase origins, New York: Harper & Row, →ISBN
  3. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024), “ham”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams edit

Afrikaans edit

Etymology edit

From Dutch ham, from Middle Dutch hamme, from Old Dutch [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *hammō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (leg).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham (plural hamme, diminutive hammetjie)

  1. ham (cured pork from the thigh of a swine)

Caribbean Hindustani edit

Etymology edit

Compare Hindi हम (ham, we).

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. I

References edit

  • Beknopt Nederland-Sarnami Woordenboek met Sarnami Hindoestani-Nederlanse Woordenlijst[2] (in Dutch), Paramaribo: Instituut voor Taalwetenschap, 2002

Catalan edit

 
Catalan Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ca

Etymology edit

From Latin hamus.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham m (plural hams)

  1. fishhook

Derived terms edit

Further reading edit

Cebuano edit

Etymology edit

From English ham, from Middle English hamme, from Old English hamm (inner or hind part of the knee, ham), from Proto-Germanic *hamō, *hammō, *hanmō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (leg).

Noun edit

ham

  1. ham; meat from the thigh of a hog cured for food

Chamorro edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kami, from Proto-Austronesian *kami. Cognates include Indonesian kami and Tagalog kami.

Pronunciation edit

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. we, us (exclusive)

Usage notes edit

See also edit

References edit

  • Donald M. Topping (1973) Chamorro Reference Grammar[3], Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

Chinese edit

Etymology edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation edit


Verb edit

ham

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, euphemistic) to die

Synonyms edit

Danish edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Old Norse hamr, Proto-Germanic *hamaz, *hamô.

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈhɑmˀ/, [ˈhɑ̈mˀ]

Noun edit

ham c (singular definite hammen, plural indefinite hamme)

  1. slough, skin
Declension edit
Derived terms edit

Etymology 2 edit

Older hannem, from Old Norse hǫnum, the dative of hann (he). Compare Swedish honom.

Pronunciation edit

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. (personal) him: objective of han
See also edit

Dutch edit

Etymology edit

From Middle Dutch hamme, from Old Dutch *hama, from Proto-Germanic *hammō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (leg).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham f (plural hammen, diminutive hammetje n)

  1. ham (cured pork from the thigh of a swine)

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

  • Papiamentu: ham

Fiji Hindi edit

Etymology edit

From Hindi हम (ham, we, I).

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. I (1st person singular personal pronoun)
    Ham khelegaa!
    I will play!

Fyer edit

Etymology edit

Related to Gerka ram (water).

Noun edit

ham

  1. water

References edit

  • Roger Blench, Ron Comparative Wordlist
  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    [] we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" [GT]:
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: [] Ron *ham [GT]: Fyer & Bks. & DB & Sha ham, Klr. ˀaàm []
  • Václav Blažek, A Lexicostatistical comparison of Omotic languages, in In Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the four fields of anthropology, page 122

Galician edit

Verb edit

ham

  1. (reintegrationist norm) third-person plural present indicative of haver

German edit

Etymology edit

A pronunciation spelling of haben.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

ham

  1. (colloquial) Contraction of haben
    Wir ham grad gefrühstückt.We've just had breakfast.

Usage notes edit

Usually used in the present or to form the perfect, though it may be seen in the infinitive as well. See also the note at haben.

Irish edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham m

  1. h-prothesized form of am

Laz edit

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. Latin spelling of ჰამ (ham)

Middle English edit

Etymology 1 edit

Inherited from Old English ham, hamm (enclosure), from Proto-West Germanic *hamm, from Proto-Germanic *hammaz.

Alternative forms edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham (plural hammes)

  1. An enclosed pasture.

References edit

Etymology 2 edit

Noun edit

ham (plural hames)

  1. Alternative form of hamme (back of the knee)

Etymology 3 edit

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. Alternative form of hem (them)

Etymology 4 edit

From Old English heom

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. (Early Middle English) Alternative form of him (him)
    • c1225, Þe Liflade ant te Passiun of Seinte Iuliene, ed. S. T. R. O. d'Ardenne, pp. 3-71.
      [Juliana] custe ham coss os peis [Roy: acos of pes] alle as ha stoden.

Etymology 5 edit

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham (plural hamen or hames)

  1. (Early Middle English, Northern) Alternative form of hom (home)

Middle French edit

Noun edit

ham m (plural hams)

  1. village

Montol edit

Etymology edit

Related to Mwaghavul am (water).

Noun edit

hàm

  1. water

References edit

  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    [] we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" [GT]:
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: [] Tal hàm [Jng./JI], Mnt. hàm "Wasser" [Jng. 1965, 171], []

North Frisian edit

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. him third-person singular, masculine, objective
  2. it third-person singular, neuter, objective

Alternative forms edit

Norwegian Bokmål edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Old Norse hann.

Pronunciation edit

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. him

See also edit

Etymology 2 edit

From Old Norse hamr.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham m (definite singular hammen, indefinite plural hammer, definite plural hammene)

  1. skin or slough (discarded skin of certain animals)
Derived terms edit

References edit

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

Etymology edit

From Old Norse hamr.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham m (definite singular hamen, indefinite plural hamar, definite plural hamane)

  1. skin or slough (discarded skin of certain animals)

Derived terms edit

References edit

Old English edit

Etymology 1 edit

From Proto-West Germanic *haim, from Proto-Germanic *haimaz.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

hām m

  1. home
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Assumption of St. John the Apostle"
      Ða het se apostol ða bære settan, and cwæð, "Min Drihten, Hælend Crist! Arære ðe, Drusiana; aris, and ġecyrr hām, and gearca ús gereordunge on þinum hūse." Drusiana þa arás swilce of slæpe awreht, and, carfull be ðæs apostoles hæse, hām gewende.
      Then the apostle bade them set down the bier, and said, "My Lord, Jesus Christ! Raise thee, Drusiana; arise, and return home, and prepare refection for us in thy house." Drusiana then arose as if from sleep awakened, and, mindful of the apostle's command, returned home.
  2. property, estate, farm
  3. village; community
Usage notes edit
  • In early Old English, the dative singular was always hām, not the expected form hāme.
Declension edit
Derived terms edit

Adverb edit

hām

  1. home, homeward
    hām gānto go home
    hām cumanto come home
    hām ċierranto turn home
    hām bringanto bring home

Descendants edit

Etymology 2 edit

From Proto-Germanic *hammaz. Cognate with Old Frisian ham, Middle Low German hamme (Low Low German Hamm).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham m

  1. Alternative form of hamm (enclosure)

Etymology 3 edit

From Proto-Germanic *hammō.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham f

  1. Alternative form of hamm (inner knee)

Etymology 4 edit

From Proto-West Germanic *ham, from Proto-Germanic *hamaz (covering). Cognate with Old Norse hamr.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

ham m

  1. covering
  2. garment, dress, gown; shirt
Declension edit
Related terms edit

Old French edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Frankish *haim (home, village).

Noun edit

ham oblique singularm (oblique plural hans, nominative singular hans, nominative plural ham)

  1. village

Descendants edit

Old Frisian edit

 
Ēn hām.

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Proto-West Germanic *haim. Cognates include Old English hām and Old Saxon hēm.

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

hām m

  1. home

Descendants edit

  • North Frisian: hamm
  • Saterland Frisian: Heem
  • West Frisian: hiem

References edit

  • Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 28

Old Norse edit

Noun edit

ham

  1. accusative/dative singular of hamr

Rohingya edit

Noun edit

ham

  1. work

Derived terms edit

Romanian edit

Pronunciation edit

Etymology 1 edit

Borrowed from Hungarian hám.

Noun edit

ham n (plural hamuri)

  1. harness
Declension edit
Derived terms edit

Etymology 2 edit

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection edit

ham!

  1. woof, the sound a barking dog makes

See also edit

Ron edit

Etymology edit

Related to Gerka ram (water).

Noun edit

ham

  1. (most dialects, including Mangar, Bokkos, Daffo-Butura, Shagawu) water

Synonyms edit

References edit

  • Roger Blench, Ron Comparative Wordlist
  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    [] we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" [GT]:
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: [] Ron *ham [GT]: Fyer & Bks. & DB & Sha ham, Klr. ˀaàm []

Serbo-Croatian edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

A loan from Hungarian hám.

Noun edit

hȃm m (Cyrillic spelling ха̑м)

  1. harness

Sha edit

Etymology edit

Related to Gerka ram (water).

Noun edit

ham

  1. water

References edit

Tal edit

Etymology edit

Related to Mwaghavul am (water).

Noun edit

hàm

  1. water

References edit

  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    [] we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" [GT]:
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" [GT]: WCh. *hama [Stl.]: AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) [GT 2004, 153] = *am [Stl. 1977] = *ham [Dlg.] = *ham [Stl. 1987]: [] Tal hàm [Jng./JI], Mnt. hàm "Wasser" [Jng. 1965, 171], []

Tambas edit

Etymology edit

Related to Gerka ram (water).

Noun edit

ham

  1. water

References edit

Turkish edit

Etymology edit

From Persian خام (xâm).

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

ham

  1. raw

Vietnamese edit

Etymology edit

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Related to tham? The shift of aspirated stops to /h/ is attested, but only in certain very frequently used words, which I don't think "to be greedy" can be considered one of.”

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

ham (𫺧, 𫻎)

  1. greedy
    ham chơi
    (disapproving) to be obsessed with fooling around
  2. eager; keen

Derived terms edit

Derived terms

See also edit

West Frisian edit

Etymology edit

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hammō. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun edit

ham c (plural hammen, diminutive hamke)

  1. ham

Further reading edit

  • ham (II)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

Yola edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English ham, from Old English heom.

Pronoun edit

ham

  1. Alternative form of him
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:
      Ich drowe ham.
      I throw him.

References edit

  • Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 36