am

¹

[am, uhm, m]

verb

1. 1st person singular present indicative of be.

Am

²

Symbol, Chemistry.

1. americium.

AM

³

abbreviation

1. Electronics.,  amplitude modulation: a method of impressing a signal on a radio carrier wave by varying its amplitude.

2. Radio.,  a system of broadcasting by means of amplitude modulation.

3. of, relating to, or utilizing such a system.

4. Asian male.

Am.

⁴

abbreviation

1. America.

2. American.

A/m

⁵

1. ampere per meter.

a.m.

⁶

abbreviation

1. before noon.

2. the period from midnight to noon, especially the period of daylight prior to noon.

   Shall we meet Saturday a.m.?

3. a morning newspaper, sometimes issued shortly before midnight.

A.M.

⁷

abbreviation

1. a.m.

2. Master of Arts.

am

¹

verb

1. (used with I) a form of the present tense (indicative mood) of be 1

am

²

abbreviation

1. See AM

2. See a.m.

am

³

abbreviation

1. Armenia

Am.

⁴

abbreviation

1. America(n)

AM

⁵

abbreviation

1. associate member

2. Assembly Member (of the National Assembly of Wales)

3. Albert Medal

4. Master of Arts

5. Also: am. amplitude modulation

6. See a.m.

7. Member of the Order of Australia

8. Armenia (international car registration)

a.m.

⁶

abbreviation

1. ante meridiem Compare p.m.

A/M

⁷

abbreviation

1. Air Marshal

Am

⁸

symbol

1. americium

AM

1. Abbreviation of amplitude modulation

Usage

The abbreviation a.m. for Latin ante merīdiem, meaning “before noon,” refers to the period from midnight until noon. One minute before noon is 11:59 a.m. One minute after noon is 12:01 p.m. Many people distinguish between noon and midnight by saying 12 noon and 12 midnight. Expressions combining a.m. with morning ( 6 a.m. in the morning ) and p.m. with afternoon, evening, or night ( 9 p.m. at night ) are redundant and occur most often in casual speech and writing. Both a.m. and p.m. sometimes appear in capital letters, especially in printed matter.

Word History and Origins

Origin of am¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English am, eam, eom; cognate with Gothic im, Old Norse, Armenian em, Old Irish am (from unattested esmi ), Attic Greek eimí, Aeolic Greek émmi, Doric Greek ēmí (all from prehistoric Greek esmi ), Hittite esmi, early Lithuanian esmì, Old Church Slavonic yesmĭ, Albanian jam (from unattested esmi ), Sanskrit ásmi, from unattested Proto-Indo-European ésmi, from root es- “to be” + -m 1st person singular + -i, present-time marker; is

Origin of am²

First recorded in 1935–40

Origin of am³

From Latin ante merīdiem

Origin of am⁴

A.M. ( def. 2 ) from Latin Artium Magister

Word History and Origins

Origin of am¹

Old English eam; related to Old Norse em, Gothic im, Old High German bim, Latin sum, Greek eimi, Sanskrit asmi

Origin of am²

Latin: before noon

Example Sentences

At the Paramount complex, which houses Homeland Security Investigation offices, protesters began arriving around 10 a.m on June 7.

From Los Angeles Times

Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Virginia State University in Chesterfield, Virginia, both had everyone on campus lock into buildings after receiving threats.

From BBC

The senior receiver headed to Texas A&M made two magical catches in the fourth quarter on Friday night to rally St. John Bosco to a 21-14 victory over Baltimore St. Frances in a game matching two of the top high school football teams in the country.

From Los Angeles Times

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays; 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times

Minimizing flaring permits is “not a priority in any sense” for the Railroad Commission, said Gunnar Schade, an associate professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University.

From Salon

Related Words

• dawn