em

[em]

noun, plural ems.

the letter M, m.

Also called mut, mutton. Printing.

the square of any size of type used as the unit of measurement for matter printed in that type size.
(originally) the portion of a line of type occupied by the letter M in type of the same size.

em pica.

adjective

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

Origin of em

First recorded in 1860–65

Em

Symbol, Physical Chemistry.

emanation(def 3).

EM

electromagnetic.

electromotive.

electronic mail.

electron microscope; electron microscopy.

end matched.

Engineer of Mines.

enlisted man; enlisted men.

'em

[uh m]

pronoun Informal.

them: Put 'em down there.

Origin of 'em

1350–1400; Middle English hem, Old English heom, dative and accusative plural of he¹

em-

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

Compare im-¹.

em-

variant of en-² before b, m, p, ph: embolism, emphasis.

E.M.

Earl Marshal.

Engineer of Mines.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for em

Contemporary Examples of em

If only Tupac was alive to see one of our finest actresses shakin’ what her mama gave her to “Hit ‘Em Up.”
Oscar Season Kicks Off in Toronto: Channing Tatum, Kristen Stewart, and More Court Awards Glory
Marlow Stern
September 14, 2014
I do feel for ‘em, but you can’t take some down here and there.
The Movie Nudity Maestro: Jim McBride on 15 Years of Mr. Skin and That Scarlett Johansson Scene
Marlow Stern
August 9, 2014
You’d get in a fight with somebody at a bar and it was totally cool to walk out and shoot ‘em.
Michael C. Hall on Where ‘Dexter’ Went Wrong and His New Killer Role in ‘Cold in July’
Melissa Leon
May 23, 2014
You tell ‘em this in New York: Not never no cover at Benny’s!
The Cradle of Jazz, Blues and Gospel Endlessly Rocking
Jason Berry
April 25, 2014
See, once she had it done to her,” the old woman said, “he didn’t like ‘em but that one time.
How ‘True Detective’ Will End
Andrew Romano
March 3, 2014

Historical Examples of em

I didnt see any mention of em in your report of last nights proceedings.
Spawn of the Comet
Harold Thompson Rich
We'll keep to ourselves and pay no attention to em no more'n if they wa'n't there.
The Woman-Haters
Joseph C. Lincoln
I had my fingers in his pocket, and he clapped his hand on em, and catched me!
The Rambles of a Rat
A. L. O. E.
Then one of em replyd, Governor, you are a Lyar, and guilty of that Infamy.
The Works of Aphra Behn
Aphra Behn
Before Em left town he and she had been engaged "on approval."
In a Little Town
Rupert Hughes

British Dictionary definitions for em

em

noun printing

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

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

Word Origin for em

C19: from the name of the letter M

em-

prefix

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

'em

pronoun

an informal variant of them

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for em

em-

representing Latin ex- assimilated to following -m- (see ex-).

em-

from French assimilation of en- to following labial (see en- (1)). Also a prefix used to form verbs from adjectives and nouns.

'em

Middle English, now taken as a colloquial abbreviation of them, but originally a form of hem, dative and accusative of the third person plural pronoun.

em in Medicine

EM

abbr.

electron microscope

em-

pref.

Variant ofen-