chereme

[ ker-eem ]

nounLinguistics.

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.

Origin of chereme

¹

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

Other words from chereme

che·re·mic [kuh-ree-mik, ke-], /kəˈri mɪk, kɛ-/, adjective

Compare allocher.

Words Nearby chereme

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse