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• em
  em

  noun

  the letter M, m.
• 'em
  'em

  pronoun

  them.
• Em
  Em

  emanation.
• EM
  EM

  abbreviation

  electromagnetic.
• em-
  em-

  variant of en- before b, p, and sometimes m:
• E.M.
  E.M.

  abbreviation

  Earl Marshal.

em

¹ American  

[em] / ɛm /

noun

ems plural

1. the letter M, m.

2. Also called mut, mutton.  Printing.

   1. the square of any size of type used as the unit of measurement for matter printed in that type size.

   2. (originally) the portion of a line of type occupied by the letter M in type of the same size.

3. em pica.

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adjective

1. Printing. having the area of an em quad or the length of an em dash.

'em ² American  

[uhm] / əm /

pronoun

Informal.

1. them.

   Put 'em down there.

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Em ³ American  

Symbol, Physical Chemistry.

1. emanation.

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EM ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. electromagnetic.

2. electromotive.

3. electronic mail.

4. electron microscope; electron microscopy.

5. end matched.

6. Engineer of Mines.

7. enlisted man; enlisted men.

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em- ⁵ American  

1. variant of en- before b, p, and sometimes m:

   embalm.

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em- ⁶ American  

1. variant of en- before b, m, p, ph:

   embolism, emphasis.

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E.M. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. Earl Marshal.

2. Engineer of Mines.

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em ¹ British  

/ ɛm /

noun

1. Also called: mutton.   mut.  the square of a body of any size of type, used as a unit of measurement

2. Also called: pica em.   pica.  a unit of measurement used in printing, equal to one sixth of an inch

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'em ² British  

/ əm /

pronoun

1. an informal variant of them

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em- ³ British  

prefix

1. before b, m, and p, a variant of en- 1 en- 2

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ems
  plural

Etymology

Origin of em¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Origin of 'em²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English hem, Old English heom, dative and accusative plural of he ¹

Example Sentences

“We have done a quick review of the 10 largest fundamental EM peers. We can say we have more than 20 stocks in our portfolio that are not in our peer universe,” Cho said.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026

“Ultimately, we think the long-term outlook for gold will depend on the level of reserves EM central banks end up with, and the share of gold they target,” he said in written commentary.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

EM earnings have been revised “meaningfully” higher, providing a tailwind and a way to diversify exposure to AI beyond the U.S., she said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

While the AI trade is usually viewed as confined to the U.S., it’s played a big part in EM as well, particularly in Asia.

From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026

If we measure accurately the line NC, we shall find that it is 11/3, or more exactly 1.336, times greater than the line EM.

From Wireless Transmission of Photographs Second Edition, Revised and Enlarged 1919 by Martin, Marcus J.