hem

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

• hĕm
  Play
• /hɛm/
  Play
• pin-pen-merger: /hɪm/
  Play
• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  Play
• rhymes with -ɛm
  Play
• homophone: him (pin–pen merger)
  Play
• CMU ARPABET: HH EH1 M Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  Play

A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)

From Khmer ហែម (haem, “to add, to supplement”).

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.

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.

150 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Amharic: ቅምቅማት (ḳəmḳəmat) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Arabic: هُدُب (hudub) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Arabic: هُدْب (hudb) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Arabic: حَاشِيَة (ḥāšiya) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Bulgarian: подгъв (podgǎv) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Bulgarian: ръб (rǎb) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Catalan: vora — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Chinese Cantonese: 褶邊 /褶边 — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Chinese Mandarin: 貼邊 /贴边 (tiēbiān) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Cimbrian: dantza — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Czech: lem — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Czech: obruba — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Dutch: zoom — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Egyptian: N35:Q3-N35:Q3-X1-S28 (npnpt) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Esperanto: orlo — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Esperanto: eĝo — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Finnish: päärme — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Finnish: palle — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Finnish: palte — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• French: ourlet — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Galician: basta — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Galician: bastilla — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Galician: rodo — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Galician: xareta — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Galician: vaíña — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Galician: alorza — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Galician: ganduxo — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Galician: falso — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• German: Saum — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Greek: στρίφωμα (strífoma) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Ancient Greek: κράσπεδον (kráspedon) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Ancient Greek: λῶμα (lôma) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Ancient Greek: ὄα (óa) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Hungarian: szegély — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Icelandic: faldur — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Icelandic: brydding — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Ingrian: päärme — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Italian: orlo — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Japanese: 裾 (suso) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Macedonian: пораб (porab) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Macedonian: раб (rab) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Māori: kurupatu — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Māori: remu — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Māori: whiringa — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Norman: ouôlet — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Norman: ouôlîn — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Norwegian Bokmål: fald — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Old English: fæs — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Old English: fnæs — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Old English: fnæd — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Pashto: لمن (lamən) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Persian: سجاف (sejâf) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Persian: فرآویز (far-âviz) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Polish: obrębek — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Polish: obszycie — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Portuguese: bainha — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Romanian: tiv — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Russian: ободо́к (obodók) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Russian: кайма́ (kajmá) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Russian: край (kraj) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Russian: кро́мка (krómka) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Russian: подгибка (podgibka) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Sanskrit: दशा (daśā) — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Scottish Gaelic: fàitheam — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Serbo-Croatian: ру̑б — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Serbo-Croatian: по̀руб — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Serbo-Croatian: rȗb — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Serbo-Croatian: pòrub — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Slovak: lem — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Slovak: obruba — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Spanish: dobladillo — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Spanish: bastilla — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Spanish: hilván — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Spanish: repulgo — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Swedish: fåll — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Tagalog: lilip — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Yakan: kikim — border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together
• Bulgarian: край (kraj) — rim or margin
• Bulgarian: ръб (rǎb) — rim or margin
• Czech: obruba — rim or margin
• Dutch: marge — rim or margin
• Finnish: ääri — rim or margin
• Finnish: reuna — rim or margin
• Finnish: lieve — rim or margin
• French: marge — rim or margin
• Galician: bordo — rim or margin
• Galician: marxe — rim or margin
• Galician: beira — rim or margin
• German: Rand — rim or margin
• Ancient Greek: κράσπεδον (kráspedon) — rim or margin
• Italian: lembo — rim or margin
• Italian: orlo — rim or margin
• Italian: bordo — rim or margin
• Italian: margine — rim or margin
• Macedonian: крај (kraj) — rim or margin
• Macedonian: раб (rab) — rim or margin
• Māori: tapa — rim or margin
• Māori: taku — rim or margin
• Pashto: لمن (lamən) — rim or margin
• Russian: край (kraj) — rim or margin
• Sanskrit: दशा (daśā) — rim or margin
• Spanish: borde — rim or margin
• Spanish: margen — rim or margin
• Bulgarian: хъмкам (hǎmkam) — to make a sound like "hem"
• Cebuano: igham — to make a sound like "hem"
• Finnish: hymistä — to make a sound like "hem"
• Hungarian: hümmög — to make a sound like "hem"
• Icelandic: humma — to make a sound like "hem"
• Russian: хмыкнуть (xmyknutʹ) — to make a sound like "hem"
• Amharic: ቀመቀመ (ḳämäḳämä) — to make a hem
• Bulgarian: подгъвам (podgǎvam) — to make a hem
• Bulgarian: поръбвам (porǎbvam) — to make a hem
• Chinese Mandarin: 縫邊 /缝边 (féngbiān) — to make a hem
• Finnish: päärmätä — to make a hem
• Finnish: paltata — to make a hem
• French: ourler — to make a hem
• German: säumen — to make a hem
• Hungarian: szeg — to make a hem
• Icelandic: falda — to make a hem
• Russian: подшива́ть (podšivátʹ) — to make a hem
• Russian: подши́ть (podšítʹ) — to make a hem
• Bulgarian: подгъвам (podgǎvam) — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Dutch: zomen — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Finnish: päärmätä — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Finnish: paltata — to put hem on an article of clothing
• French: ourler — to put hem on an article of clothing
• German: säumen — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Icelandic: falda — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Ido: bordizar — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Ingrian: päärmätä — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Norman: toussôter — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Portuguese: embainhar — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Portuguese: bainhar — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Portuguese: chulear — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Russian: подшива́ть (podšivátʹ) — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Russian: подши́ть (podšítʹ) — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Russian: обшива́ть (obšivátʹ) — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Russian: обши́ть (obšítʹ) — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Spanish: repulgar — to put hem on an article of clothing
• Czech: lemovat — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Dutch: omzomen — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Dutch: inperken — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Finnish: ympäröidä — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• German: einengen — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Māori: pākaka — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Māori: pākorokoro — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Māori: awhe — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Portuguese: cercar — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Russian: окаймля́ть (okajmljátʹ) — to surround something or someone in a confining way
• Russian: окайми́ть (okajmítʹ) — to surround something or someone in a confining way