ham

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• /hæm/
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• Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• rhymes with -æm
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• homophone: ham
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• Received-Pronunciation: /ˈhæm/
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• Received-Pronunciation: [ˈhæm] ~ [ˈham]
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• British, Midlands, Southern, Standard: /ˈham/
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• British, Midlands, Southern, Standard: [ˈham]
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• Northern-England, Scotland, Wales: /ˈham/
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• Northern-England, Scotland, Wales: [ˈham] ~ [ˈhäm]
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• Canada, US: /ˈhæm/
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• [ˈhæm] without æ-raising
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• [ˈheə̯m] ~ [ˈhɛə̯m] æ-raising
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• Australia: /ˈhæːm/
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• [ˈhæːm] without æ-raising
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• [ˈheːm] ~ [ˈhɛːm] æ-raising
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• New-Zealand: /ˈhɛm/
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• New-Zealand: [ˈhɛm]
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• CMU ARPABET: HH AE1 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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* As an English and German surname, variant of Hamm. * As a Dutch surname, from the noun ham (“bend in a river”). Compare Van Ham, Vanderham. * As a French surname, from several placenames, from the Frankish source of the Dutch word above. * As a Serbo-Croatian, Slovak and Hungarian surname (Hám), from the noun hám (“harness”), and sometimes from the German sense above. * As a Slovene surname, possibly from the "harness" or German senses above, or from ham (“grab, bite”). * As a Czech surname, shortened from Abraham. * As a Korean surname, from the name 함 (ham) (more at Ham). Compare Hahm. * As a Chinese surname, from several names such as 咸 (xián) (see Xian), 闞 /阚 (see Kan), 范 (fàn) (see fan), 譚 /谭 (tán) (see Tan), and possibly 涵 (hán, “contain”). * In some English surnames, from Old English hām, probably reduced from a name using it as a suffix -ham.

From Hebrew חָם.

Inherited from Middle English hamme, from Old English hamm (“inner or hind part of the knee, ham”), from Proto-West Germanic *hammu, 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 and gam.

Inherited from Middle English ham, from Old English hām.

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. * 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. * Shortened from hamfatter (“inferior actor”), said to derive from the 1863 minstrel show song The Ham-fat Man. 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.

246 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Afrikaans: Gam — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Arabic: حَام (ḥām) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Armenian: Քամ (Kʻam) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Old Armenian: Քամ (Kʻam) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Bengali: হাম (ham) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Chinese Cantonese: 含 (ham4) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Hakka Chinese: 含 (Hàm) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Chinese: 含 (zh-min-nan) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Chinese Mandarin: 含 (Hán) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Czech: Chám — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Dutch: Cham — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Finnish: Haam — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• French: Cham — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• German: Ham — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Hindi: हाम (hām) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Hungarian: Kám — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Hungarian: Hám — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Italian: Cam — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Latin: Cham — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Latin: Chām — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Latin: Chāmus — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Polish: Cham — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Portuguese: Cam — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Portuguese: Cã — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Portuguese: Cão — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Russian: Хам (Xam) — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Spanish: Cam — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Spanish: Châm — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Vietnamese: Cham — a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem
• Bulgarian: бедро́ (bedró) — region back of the knee joint
• Danish: knæhase — region back of the knee joint
• Danish: hase — region back of the knee joint
• Dutch: knieboog — region back of the knee joint
• Esperanto: poplito — region back of the knee joint
• Faroese: knæsbót — region back of the knee joint
• Finnish: polvitaive — region back of the knee joint
• Finnish: kinnerkoukku — region back of the knee joint
• West-Frisian: hokse — region back of the knee joint
• Galician: sofraxe — region back of the knee joint
• Galician: xoga — region back of the knee joint
• German: Kniekehle — region back of the knee joint
• Ancient Greek: ἰγνύα (ignúa) — region back of the knee joint
• Ancient Greek: κώληψ (kṓlēps) — region back of the knee joint
• Ido: poplito — region back of the knee joint
• Japanese: 膝裏 (hizaura) — region back of the knee joint
• Japanese: 膕 (hikagami) — region back of the knee joint
• Japanese: 膝窩 (shikka) — region back of the knee joint
• Latvian: gurns — region back of the knee joint
• Norwegian Bokmål: knehase — region back of the knee joint
• Norwegian Bokmål: knesbot — region back of the knee joint
• Norwegian Bokmål: hombot — region back of the knee joint
• Norwegian Nynorsk: knehase — region back of the knee joint
• Norwegian Nynorsk: knesbot — region back of the knee joint
• Norwegian Nynorsk: hombot — region back of the knee joint
• Old English: hamm — region back of the knee joint
• Polish: golonka — region back of the knee joint
• Portuguese: póplite — region back of the knee joint
• Russian: бедро́ (bedró) — region back of the knee joint
• Russian: ля́жка (ljážka) — region back of the knee joint
• Scottish Gaelic: sliasaid — region back of the knee joint
• Spanish: corva — region back of the knee joint
• Spanish: jamón — region back of the knee joint
• Old Armenian: թամբ (tʻamb) — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Asturian: pernil — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Asturian: xamón — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Bulgarian: бут (but) — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Catalan: pernil — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Czech: kýta — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Esperanto: ŝinko — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Estonian: sink — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Finnish: paisti — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Galician: zangro — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Galician: lunada — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Galician: pernil — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• German: Schinken — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Ancient Greek: κωλῆ (kōlê) — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Ancient Greek: κωλήν (kōlḗn) — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Irish: ceathrú — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Irish: más — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Latin: perna — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Latin: petasō — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Latvian: šķiņķis — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Macedonian: бут (but) — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Mongolian: ташаа (tašaa) — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Mongolian: гуя (guja) — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Polish: szynka — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Russian: о́корок (ókorok) — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Scottish Gaelic: sliasaid — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Spanish: pernil — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Spanish: jamón — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Spanish: lunada — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Tagalog: puwit — thigh and buttock of any animal slaughtered for meat
• Afrikaans: ham — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Arabic: هَام (hām) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Armenian: ազդրապուխտ (azdrapuxt) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Armenian: խոզապուխտ (xozapuxt) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Armenian: ապուխտ (apuxt) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Asturian: xamón — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Asturian: pernil — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Azerbaijani: vetçina — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Belarusian: вяндлі́на (vjandlína) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Belarusian: шы́нка (šýnka) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Belarusian: вянглі́на (vjanhlína) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Central Bikol: hamon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Bulgarian: шу́нка (šúnka) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Catalan: pernil — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Cebuano: hamon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Chinese Cantonese: 火腿 (fo2 teoi2) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Chinese: 火腿 (zh-min-nan) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Chinese Mandarin: 火腿 (huǒtuǐ) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Cornish: mordhos hogh — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Czech: šunka — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Danish: skinke — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Dutch: ham — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Dutch: hesp — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Esperanto: ŝinko — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Estonian: sink — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Faroese: svínstjógv — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Faroese: svínatjógv — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Finnish: kinkku — thigh of a hog cured for food
• French: jambon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Galician: xamón — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Galician: lacón — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Georgian: შაშხი (šašxi) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• German: Schinken — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Greek: χοιρομέρι (choiroméri) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Greek: ζαμπόν (zampón) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Ancient Greek: κωλῆ (kōlê) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Ancient Greek: κωλήν (kōlḗn) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Haitian Creole: janbon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Hebrew: שִׁינְקֵן (shínken) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Hebrew: שִׁינְקֵה (shínke) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Hiligaynon: hamon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Hindi: हम (ham) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Hungarian: sonka — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Icelandic: skinka — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Indonesian: ham — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Irish: liamhás — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Italian: prosciutto — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Japanese: ハム (hamu) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Kazakh: жамбас (jambas) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Kazakh: ветчина (vetçina) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Korean: 햄 (haem) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Northern Kurdish: jambon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Kyrgyz: ветчина (vetcina) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Latin: perna — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Latvian: šķiņķis — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Ligurian: xambun — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Ligurian: xambon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Limburgish: sjink — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Lithuanian: kum̃pis — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Lombard: giambón — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Luxembourgish: Ham — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Macedonian: шунка (šunka) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Maltese: perżuta — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Māori: wāmu — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Māori: hamu — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Mongolian: утсан мах (utsan max) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Navajo: bisóodi bijáád — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Norwegian Bokmål: skinke — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Norwegian Nynorsk: skinke — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Iranian Persian: ژامْبون (žâmbon) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Polish: szynka — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Portuguese: presunto — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Portuguese: pernil — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Romanian: șuncă — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Russian: о́корок (ókorok) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Russian: ветчина́ (vetčiná) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Russian: хамо́н (xamón) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Scottish Gaelic: hama — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Serbo-Croatian: шу̑нка — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Serbo-Croatian: šȗnka — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Slovak: šunka — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Slovene: šunka — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Spanish: jamón — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Swahili: hemu — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Swedish: skinka — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Tagalog: hamon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Tajik: ветчина (vetčina) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Taos: xomúnenemą — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Thai: แฮม (hɛm) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Turkish: jambon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Turkmen: skin — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Ukrainian: о́корок (ókorok) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Ukrainian: ши́нка (šýnka) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Ukrainian: о́кіст (ókist) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Ukrainian: ву́джениця (vúdženycja) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Uzbek: goʻshti — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Uzbek: vetchina — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Vietnamese: giăm bông — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Waray-Waray: hamon — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Welsh: ham — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Welsh: cig moch — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Yiddish: שינקע (shinke) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Yiddish: וועטשינאַ (vetshina) — thigh of a hog cured for food
• Galician: bestra — back of the thigh
• Galician: sofraxe — back of the thigh
• Galician: xoga — back of the thigh
• Greek: ιγνύς (ignýs) — back of the thigh
• Irish: ceathrú — back of the thigh
• Irish: más — back of the thigh
• Irish: leis — back of the thigh
• Polish: szynka — back of the thigh
• Russian: ветчина́ (vetčiná) — back of the thigh
• Scottish Gaelic: sliasaid — back of the thigh
• Bulgarian: позьор (pozjor) — actor with an exaggerating style
• French: cabotin — actor with an exaggerating style
• French: cabotine — actor with an exaggerating style
• German: Schmierenkomödiant — actor with an exaggerating style
• German: Schmierenschauspieler — actor with an exaggerating style
• Greek: άσχετος (áschetos) — actor with an exaggerating style
• Hungarian: ripacs — actor with an exaggerating style
• Irish: aisteoir áibhéileach — actor with an exaggerating style
• Japanese: 大根 (daikon) — actor with an exaggerating style
• Japanese: 大根役者 (daikon yakusha) — actor with an exaggerating style
• Polish: kabotyn — actor with an exaggerating style
• Portuguese: canastrão — actor with an exaggerating style
• Russian: позёр (pozjór) — actor with an exaggerating style
• Spanish: comicastro — actor with an exaggerating style
• Spanish: comicastro — actor with an exaggerating style
• Spanish: histriónico — actor with an exaggerating style
• Bulgarian: радиолюбител (radioljubitel) — ham radio operator
• Czech: radioamatér — ham radio operator
• Czech: radioamatérka — ham radio operator
• Dutch: radioamateur — ham radio operator
• Esperanto: radioamatoro — ham radio operator
• Finnish: radioamatööri — ham radio operator
• Finnish: hamssi — ham radio operator
• French: radioamateur — ham radio operator
• German: Amateurfunker — ham radio operator
• German: Amateurfunkerin — ham radio operator
• German: Funkamateur — ham radio operator
• German: Funkamateurin — ham radio operator
• Greek: ραδιοερασιτέχνης (radioerasitéchnis) — ham radio operator
• Indonesian: amatir radio — ham radio operator
• Italian: radioamatore — ham radio operator
• Polish: radioamator — ham radio operator
• Portuguese: radioamador — ham radio operator
• Russian: радиолюби́тель (radioljubítelʹ) — ham radio operator
• Spanish: radioamador — ham radio operator
• Spanish: radioaficionado — ham radio operator
• Czech: přehrávat — overact
• Finnish: tunteilla — overact
• French: cabotiner — overact
• German: (sich) aufspielen — overact
• Spanish: sobreactuar — overact