chereme

[ ker-eem ]

noun

, Linguistics.

1. any of a small set of elements, analogous to phonemes in speech, proposed as the basic structural units by which the signs of a sign language are represented, and including the handshape, hand movements, and locations of the hands in relation to the body as used in a particular sign language.

Other Words From

• che·re·mic [k, uh, -, ree, -mik, ke-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chereme¹

From Greek cher-, a variant of cheir-, stem of cheír “hand” + -eme; chiro-; coined by U.S. linguist William C. Stokoe (1919–2000) in 1960