hem.
Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound.
Meaning & usage
Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound.
Where this word comes from
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)
An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.
Where this word comes from
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)
To make the sound expressed by the word hem; to hesitate in speaking.
Where this word comes from
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)
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.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English hem, hemm, in turn from Old English hem, of West Germanic origin, from Proto-West Germanic *hammjan from Proto-Germanic *hamjaną. Related to Middle High German hemmen (“to hem in”), Old Norse hemja (“to hem in, restrain”); outside of Germanic, to Armenian քամել (kʻamel, “to press, wring”), Russian ком (kom, “lump”). The verb is from Middle English hemmen, from Old English hemman, from Proto-Germanic *hamjaną, or alternatively derived from the noun.
To make a hem.
To put hem on an article of clothing, to edge or put a border on something.
To shut in, enclose, confine; to surround something or someone in a confining way.
A small yard hemmed about by a tall hedge.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English hem, hemm, in turn from Old English hem, of West Germanic origin, from Proto-West Germanic *hammjan from Proto-Germanic *hamjaną. Related to Middle High German hemmen (“to hem in”), Old Norse hemja (“to hem in, restrain”); outside of Germanic, to Armenian քամել (kʻamel, “to press, wring”), Russian ком (kom, “lump”). The verb is from Middle English hemmen, from Old English hemman, from Proto-Germanic *hamjaną, or alternatively derived from the noun.
Obsolete form of 'em.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English hem, from Old English heom (“them”, dative), originally a dative plural form but in Middle English coming to serve as an accusative plural as well. More at 'em.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.