Advertisement
Advertisement
hem
1[ hem ]
verb (used with object)
- to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.
- to enclose or confine (usually followed by in, around, or about ):
hemmed in by enemies.
noun
- an edge made by folding back the margin of cloth and sewing it down.
- the edge or border of a garment, drape, etc., especially at the bottom.
- the edge, border, or margin of anything.
- Architecture. the raised edge forming the volute of an Ionic capital.
hem
2[ hem ]
interjection
- (an utterance resembling a slight clearing of the throat, used to attract attention, express doubt, etc.)
noun
- the utterance or sound of “hem.”
- a sound or pause of hesitation:
His sermon was full of hems and haws.
verb (used without object)
- to utter the sound “hem.”
- to hesitate in speaking.
hem-
3- variant of hemo- before a vowel:
hemal.
hem-
1hem
2/ hɛm /
noun
- a representation of the sound of clearing the throat, used to gain attention, express hesitation, etc
verb
- intr to utter this sound
- hem and haw or hum and hawto hesitate in speaking or in making a decision
hem
3/ hɛm /
noun
- an edge to a piece of cloth, made by folding the raw edge under and stitching it down
- short for hemline
verb
- to provide with a hem
- usually foll byin, around, or about to enclose or confine
Word History and Origins
Origin of hem1
Origin of hem2
Word History and Origins
Origin of hem1
Idioms and Phrases
- hem and haw,
- to hesitate or falter:
She hemmed and hawed a lot before she came to the point.
- to speak noncommittally; avoid giving a direct answer:
He hems and haws and comes out on both sides of every question.
Example Sentences
It has been called the “golden hem of Windsor”: whatever George or Kate wears instantly sells out.
Such products are not suited for the rigours of public life, and need to be adapted, at the very least by sewing in hem weights.
If I could sum it up in a few choice words, I would, but instead I hem and haw, before stumbling through some rambling rejoinder.
Music, too, can dismantle me—for instance, this morning: Sam Cooke singing “Touch the Hem of His Garment.”
Tessie rose, unrolled her scented handkerchief, and taking a bit of gum from a knot in the hem, placed it in her mouth.
Here was one sister curled up happily against a big tree, setting tiny stitches into a very straight hem.
I supply Ne lak (defect) in hem, to make some sense; the F. text does not help here.
Mrs. McAllister, finding out in some way that Violet was a clever seamstress, sent home fine linen handkerchiefs for her to hem.
Fold the front at the first pattern row, and hem it to form the scallop at the edge.
Hilda left the road, with a trace of its red dust on the hem of her skirt, and struck out into the Maidan.
Advertisement
Related Words
Words That Use Hem-
What does hem- mean?
Hem- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “blood.” It is used in many medical terms, especially in pathology.
Hem- comes from the Greek haîma, meaning “blood.”
Hem- is a variant of hemo-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. The spelling haem- is chiefly used in British English.
Want to know more? Read our Words That Use hemo- article.
Other variants of hem- used like hem- are hema-, hemato-, and hemat-.
As with haem-, all of these combining forms are often spelled with an additional a in British English, as in haemo-, haema-, haemato-, and haemat-. Historically, these forms have been spelled with a ligature of the a and e, as in hæm-.
Closely related to hem- are -aemia, -emia, -haemia, and -hemia, which are combined to the ends of words to denote blood conditions.
You can learn all about the specific applications for each of these forms at our Words That Use articles for them.
Examples of hem-
One medical term that features the combining form hem- is hemagogue, “an agent that promotes the flow of blood.”
The first part of the word, hem-, means “blood.” The second part of the word, -agogue, is a combining form that means “leader, bringer.” It is used in medical terms to denote substances inducing expulsion or secretion. Hemagogue literally translates to “bringer of blood.”
What are some words that use the combining form hem-?
What are some other forms that hem- may be commonly confused with?
Hem- is not to be confused with hem, a bottom edge of a piece of clothing or sound of clearing the throat, among other senses. And outside medicine, most words that begin with the exact letters hem- are not using it as a combining form to refer to blood, e.g., hemp.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Browse