spam
English
editAlternative forms
editEtymology
editThe original sense (canned ham) is a proprietary name registered by Geo. A. Hormel & Co. in U.S., 1937. It is presumed to be a conflation of either "spiced ham" or "shoulder of pork and ham"[1] but was soon extended to other kinds of canned meat. Hormel spells the trademarked name in all upper case.
The use for unsolicited and unwanted email derives from a Monty Python sketch (Flying Circus, Episode 25). In the 1970 sketch, a group of Vikings in a restaurant repeatedly chant the word "spam". The earliest recorded real-life use for this sense occurs around 1993 which finds reference in a newsgroup post dated March 31, 1993.
The term appears to have been used earlier in a different sense in relation to "Multi-User Dungeons" (MUDs), a kind of multi-user computer gaming environment before widespread use of the Internet, in the 1980s.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editspam (countable and uncountable, plural spams)
- (uncountable, rarely countable, computing, Internet) Unsolicited bulk electronic messages.
- I get far too much spam.
- I received 58 spams yesterday.
- Synonym: junk mail
- Antonym: ham
- Coordinate term: bacn
- 2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist[2], volume 407, number 8837, page 74:
- In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result. If the bumf arrived electronically, the take-up rate was 0.1%. And for online adverts the “conversion” into sales was a minuscule 0.01%. That means about $165 billion was spent not on drumming up business, but on annoying people, creating landfill and cluttering spam filters.
- (uncountable, computing, Internet) Any undesired electronic content automatically generated for commercial purposes.
- Long title, Spam Control Act (Cap. 311A, R. Ed. 2008)
- An Act to provide for the control of spam, which is unsolicited commercial communications sent in bulk by electronic mail or by text or multi-media messaging to mobile telephone numbers, and to provide for matters connected therewith.
- Long title, Spam Control Act (Cap. 311A, R. Ed. 2008)
- (Internet) Excessive, often unwanted and repeated online messages.
- (Internet) Ellipsis of spam account.
- A type of tinned meat made mainly from ham.
Hyponyms
editMeronyms
editDerived terms
editTranslations
edit
|
|
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
|
Verb
editspam (third-person singular simple present spams, present participle spamming, simple past and past participle spammed)
- (intransitive, computing, Internet) To send spam (i.e. unsolicited electronic messages.)
- (transitive, computing, Internet) To send spam (i.e. unsolicited electronic messages) to a person or entity.
- (transitive, intransitive, computing, Internet) To send messages repeatedly, often with disruptive effect; to flood.
- (transitive, by extension, computing, video games) To do something rapidly and repeatedly.
- Stop spamming that special attack!
- Spam the Z key to get a speed boost.
Translations
edit
|
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ “What does the SPAM brand name mean?”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)[1], 2013 July 6 (last accessed), archived from the original on 14 October 2013
Anagrams
editDanish
editEtymology 1
editNoun
editspam (genitive spams)
Etymology 2
editSee spamme.
Verb
editspam
- imperative of spamme
Dutch
editPronunciation
editEtymology 1
editNoun
editspam m (uncountable)
- spam (undesired electronic content)
Etymology 2
editSee the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.
Verb
editspam
- inflection of spammen:
French
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
editspam m (plural spams)
Synonyms
edit- (unsolicited email): pourriel, courriel indésirable
Hungarian
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
editspam (plural spamek)
Declension
editInflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony) | ||
---|---|---|
singular | plural | |
nominative | spam | spamek |
accusative | spamet | spameket |
dative | spamnek | spameknek |
instrumental | spammel | spamekkel |
causal-final | spamért | spamekért |
translative | spammé | spamekké |
terminative | spamig | spamekig |
essive-formal | spamként | spamekként |
essive-modal | — | — |
inessive | spamben | spamekben |
superessive | spamen | spameken |
adessive | spamnél | spameknél |
illative | spambe | spamekbe |
sublative | spamre | spamekre |
allative | spamhez | spamekhez |
elative | spamből | spamekből |
delative | spamről | spamekről |
ablative | spamtől | spamektől |
non-attributive possessive - singular |
spamé | spameké |
non-attributive possessive - plural |
spaméi | spamekéi |
Possessive forms of spam | ||
---|---|---|
possessor | single possession | multiple possessions |
1st person sing. | spamem | spameim |
2nd person sing. | spamed | spameid |
3rd person sing. | spame | spamei |
1st person plural | spamünk | spameink |
2nd person plural | spametek | spameitek |
3rd person plural | spamük | spameik |
Interlingua
editNoun
editspam (plural spams)
Italian
editEtymology
editUnadapted borrowing from English spam.
Noun
editspam m (invariable)
Related terms
editPolish
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
editspam m inan
Declension
editDerived terms
editRelated terms
editFurther reading
editPortuguese
editEtymology
editUnadapted borrowing from English spam.
Pronunciation
edit
Noun
editspam m (uncountable)
Romanian
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
editspam n (plural spamuri)
Declension
editsingular | plural | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | ||
nominative-accusative | spam | spamul | spamuri | spamurile | |
genitive-dative | spam | spamului | spamuri | spamurilor | |
vocative | spamule | spamurilor |
Slovene
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
editspȃm m inan
Alternative forms
editSpanish
editEtymology
editUnadapted borrowing from English spam.
Pronunciation
editNoun
editspam m (plural spams)
Usage notes
editAccording to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.
Related terms
editFurther reading
edit- “spam”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.7, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2023 November 28
- “spam” in Diccionario de americanismos, Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
Swedish
editEtymology
editBorrowed from English spam. Earliest attested in 1997.
Noun
editspam n
Declension
editDerived terms
editReferences
editTurkish
editEtymology
editPronunciation
editNoun
editspam (definite accusative spamı, plural spamlar)
Usage notes
editAs the word starts with two consonants, some Turkish people will have difficulties to spell it correctly. It may be spelled also sıpam.
Declension
editInflection | ||
---|---|---|
Nominative | spam | |
Definite accusative | spamı | |
Singular | Plural | |
Nominative | spam | spamlar |
Definite accusative | spamı | spamları |
Dative | spama | spamlara |
Locative | spamda | spamlarda |
Ablative | spamdan | spamlardan |
Genitive | spamın | spamların |
Synonyms
editVietnamese
editEtymology
editPronunciation
edit- (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [spam˧˧]
- (Huế) IPA(key): [spam˧˧]
- (Saigon) IPA(key): [spam˧˧]
- Phonetic spelling: xpăm
Noun
editspam
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/æm
- Rhymes:English/æm/1 syllable
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- en:Computing
- en:Internet
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- English ellipses
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English transitive verbs
- en:Video games
- English genericized trademarks
- en:Advertising
- en:E-mail
- Danish terms borrowed from English
- Danish terms derived from English
- Danish lemmas
- Danish nouns
- da:Computing
- da:Internet
- Danish non-lemma forms
- Danish verb forms
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio pronunciation
- Dutch terms borrowed from English
- Dutch terms derived from English
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch uncountable nouns
- Dutch masculine nouns
- Dutch non-lemma forms
- Dutch verb forms
- French terms borrowed from English
- French terms derived from English
- French 1-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French terms with audio pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- fr:Computing
- fr:Internet
- fr:E-mail
- fr:Meats
- Hungarian terms borrowed from English
- Hungarian terms derived from English
- Hungarian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Hungarian terms with manual IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Hungarian/ɛm
- Rhymes:Hungarian/ɛm/1 syllable
- Hungarian lemmas
- Hungarian nouns
- hu:Computing
- hu:Internet
- Interlingua lemmas
- Interlingua nouns
- ia:Computing
- ia:Internet
- Italian terms borrowed from English
- Italian unadapted borrowings from English
- Italian terms derived from English
- Italian lemmas
- Italian nouns
- Italian indeclinable nouns
- Italian countable nouns
- Italian masculine nouns
- it:Internet
- Polish terms borrowed from English
- Polish terms derived from English
- Polish 1-syllable words
- Polish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Polish terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:Polish/am
- Rhymes:Polish/am/1 syllable
- Polish lemmas
- Polish nouns
- Polish masculine nouns
- Polish inanimate nouns
- pl:Computing
- pl:Internet
- Polish singularia tantum
- pl:E-mail
- pl:Advertising
- pl:Video games
- Portuguese terms borrowed from English
- Portuguese unadapted borrowings from English
- Portuguese terms derived from English
- Portuguese 2-syllable words
- Portuguese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Portuguese lemmas
- Portuguese nouns
- Portuguese uncountable nouns
- Portuguese masculine nouns
- pt:Computing
- pt:Internet
- Romanian terms borrowed from English
- Romanian terms derived from English
- Romanian terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Romanian/am
- Rhymes:Romanian/am/1 syllable
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian nouns
- Romanian countable nouns
- Romanian neuter nouns
- ro:Computing
- ro:Internet
- Slovene terms borrowed from English
- Slovene terms derived from English
- Slovene 1-syllable words
- Slovene terms with IPA pronunciation
- Slovene lemmas
- Slovene nouns
- Slovene masculine inanimate nouns
- Slovene masculine nouns
- Slovene inanimate nouns
- sl:Internet
- Spanish terms borrowed from English
- Spanish unadapted borrowings from English
- Spanish terms derived from English
- Spanish 1-syllable words
- Spanish 2-syllable words
- Spanish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:Spanish/am
- Rhymes:Spanish/am/1 syllable
- Rhymes:Spanish/am/2 syllables
- Spanish lemmas
- Spanish nouns
- Spanish countable nouns
- Spanish masculine nouns
- es:Computing
- Swedish terms borrowed from English
- Swedish terms derived from English
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish neuter nouns
- sv:Computing
- Turkish terms borrowed from English
- Turkish terms derived from English
- Turkish terms with IPA pronunciation
- Turkish lemmas
- Turkish nouns
- tr:Computing
- tr:Internet
- Vietnamese terms borrowed from English
- Vietnamese terms derived from English
- Vietnamese terms with IPA pronunciation
- Vietnamese lemmas
- Vietnamese nouns
- vi:Computing
- vi:Internet