wem

Contents

EnglishEdit

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /wɛm/

Etymology 1Edit

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 *wemh₁- (“to spew, vomit”). Cognate with Icelandic vamm (“loss, damage”), Latin vomō (“vomit”, verb) (English vomit), Ancient Greek ἐμέω (eméō, “I spew”) (English emesis), Lithuanian vemti (“to vomit”), Sanskrit वमति (vamati, “to vomit”)

Alternative formsEdit

• weam, weem
• wame, wan (Scotland)

NounEdit

wem (plural wems)

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

Derived termsEdit

• wemless
• wemmy

Etymology 2Edit

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”).

VerbEdit

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

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

Derived termsEdit

• wemmed
• wemming

AnagramsEdit

• MWE, mew

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GermanEdit

PronunciationEdit

• IPA^(key): /veːm/

PronounEdit

wem

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

Further readingEdit

• wem in Duden online