ham

[ ham ]

/ hæm /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ham ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cut of meat from the heavy-muscled part of a hog's rear quarter, between hip and hock, usually cured.

that part of a hog's hind leg.

the part of the leg back of the knee.

Often hams. the back of the thigh, or the thigh and the buttock together.

RELATED WORDS

exhibitionist, grandstander, hotshot

Nearby words

halvers, halves, halyard, halysites, halévy, ham, ham up, ham's test, ham-fisted, ham-handed, hama

Origin of ham

before 1000; Middle English hamme, Old English hamm bend of the knee; cognate with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German hamme, Old High German hamma; akin to Old Norse hǫm buttock; perhaps akin to Greek knḗmē shin, Old Irish cnáim bone

Definition for ham (2 of 3)

ham

[ ham ]

/ hæm /

noun

an actor or performer who overacts.

an operator of an amateur radio station.

verb (used with or without object), hammed, ham·ming.

to act with exaggerated expression of emotion; overact.

Origin of ham

1880–85; short for hamfatter, after The Hamfat Man, a black minstrel song celebrating an awkward man

Definition for ham (3 of 3)

Ham

[ ham ]

/ hæm /

noun

the second son of Noah, Gen. 10:1.

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

Examples from the Web for ham

Since when was the traditional version thrown out for one made of ham?
I Ate Potato Pancakes Til I Plotzed|Emily Shire|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But merit aside, you can indict a ham sandwich if it's Republican in the most liberal hotbed of Texas: Travis County.
Peak 'Oops': Explaining the Perry Indictment|Mark McKinnon|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The problem for Perry is that a Travis County jury can also find a Republican ham sandwich guilty.
Peak 'Oops': Explaining the Perry Indictment|Mark McKinnon|August 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Cuban sandwich is made with pulled pork shoulder and ham (both from farm hogs, of course), as well as house-made pickles.
Spaghetti for Breakfast?! Not So Crazy at This Idaho Farm Café|Jane & Michael Stern|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST

A grilled cheese sandwich, made with four different cheeses, comes with McLane ham (and is grilled in truffle butter).
Spaghetti for Breakfast?! Not So Crazy at This Idaho Farm Café|Jane & Michael Stern|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In carving a ham, begin not quite in the centre, but a little nearer to the hock.
Directions for Cookery, in its Various Branches|Eliza Leslie
For the first time in the history of mankind the experiment was made of extending the institutions of Japhet to the sons of Ham.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 71, No. 436, February 1852|Various
"Friend, it is but idle to spur a horse when his legs are ham shackled," said the Highlander, haughtily.
The Fair Maid of Perth|Sir Walter Scott
After such an experience as you must have been through this night to set down to ham and toast!
Thankful's Inheritance|Joseph C. Lincoln
When the prince had been a prisoner at Ham, he had sent the novelist his study entitled L'Extinction du pauperisme.
George Sand, Some Aspects of Her Life and Writings|Rene Doumic

British Dictionary definitions for ham (1 of 2)

ham

/ (hæm) /

noun

the part of the hindquarters of a pig or similar animal between the hock and the hip

the meat of this part, esp when salted or smoked

informal

the back of the leg above the knee
the space or area behind the knee

needlework a cushion used for moulding curves

Word Origin for ham

Old English hamm; related to Old High German hamma haunch, Old Irish cnāim bone, camm bent, Latin camur bent

British Dictionary definitions for ham (2 of 2)

ham

/ (hæm) /

noun

theatre informal

an actor who overacts or relies on stock gestures or mannerisms
overacting or clumsy acting
(as modifier)a ham actor

informal

a licensed amateur radio operator
(as modifier)a ham licence

verb hams, hamming or hammed

informal to overact

Word Origin for ham

C19: special use of ham 1; in some senses probably influenced by amateur

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 ham (1 of 2)

ham

n.1

"meat of a hog's hind leg used for food," 1630s, from Old English hamm "hollow or bend of the knee," from Proto-Germanic *hamma- (cf. Old Norse höm, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch hamme, Old High German hamma), from PIE *konemo- "shin bone" (cf. Greek kneme "calf of the leg," Old Irish cnaim "bone"). Ham-fisted (1928) was originally in reference to pilots who were heavy on the controls, as was ham-handed (by 1918). With hammen ifalden "with folded hams" was a Middle English way of saying "kneeling."

Word Origin and History for ham (1 of 2)

ham

n.2

"overacting inferior performer," 1882, American English, apparently a shortening of hamfatter (1880) "actor of low grade," said since at least 1889 to be from an old minstrel show song, "The Ham-fat Man" (1863). The song, a black-face number, has nothing to do with acting, so the connection must be with the quality of acting in minstrel shows, where the song was popular. Ham also had a sports slang sense of "incompetent pugilist" circa 1888, perhaps from ham-fisted. The notion of "amateurish" led to the sense of "amateur radio operator" (1919). The verb in the performance sense is first recorded 1933. As an adjective in this sense by 1935.

Culture definitions for ham

Ham

One of the three sons of Noah. According to the biblical account, Noah and his family were the only human survivors of the great Flood and were therefore the progenitors of all the peoples on Earth.

Note

Egypt (see also Egypt) was traditionally called “the Land of Ham,” and Ham was considered to be the ancestor of the Egyptians and of all African peoples south of Egypt.

Note

The “curse of Ham” refers to the biblical story in which Ham, seeing his father drunk and naked, refused to turn away as his two brothers did. When Noah awoke, he cursed Ham and his son Canaan, supposedly causing a darker pigmentation in their descendants. This so-called curse has often been wrongly used to justify racism.

ham

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of ham

Definition for ham (2 of 3)

ham

noun

verb (used with or without object), hammed, ham·ming.

Origin of ham

Definition for ham (3 of 3)

Ham

noun

Examples from the Web for ham

British Dictionary definitions for ham (1 of 2)

ham

noun

Word Origin for ham

British Dictionary definitions for ham (2 of 2)

ham

noun

verb hams, hamming or hammed

Word Origin for ham

Word Origin and History for ham (1 of 2)

ham

Word Origin and History for ham (1 of 2)

ham

Culture definitions for ham

Ham

Note

Note