Salem

American  

[say-luhm] / ˈseɪ ləm /

noun

1. a seaport in northeastern Massachusetts: founded 1626; site of witch hunt 1692–93; home of Nathaniel Hawthorne.

2. a city in and the capital of Oregon, in the northwestern part, on the Willamette River.

3. a town in southeastern New Hampshire.

4. a town in southwestern Virginia, near Roanoke.

5. a city in eastern Ohio.

6. a city in central Tamil Nadu, in southern India.

7. an ancient city of Canaan, later identified with Jerusalem. Genesis 14:18; Psalms 76:2.

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Salem British  

/ ˈseɪləm /

noun

1. a city in S India, in Tamil Nadu: textile industries. Pop: 693 236 (2001)

2. a city in NE Massachusetts, on the Atlantic: scene of the execution of 19 people after the witch hunts of 1692. Pop: 42 067 (2003 est)

3. a city in the NW USA, the state capital of Oregon: food-processing. Pop: 142 914 (2003 est)

4. an Old Testament name for Jerusalem (Genesis 14:18; Psalms 76:2) See Jerusalem

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Etymology

Origin of Salem

From Late Latin Salem, from Greek Salḗm, from Hebrew Shālēm, a name of uncertain origin and meaning, but traditionally interpreted as a synonym of Jerusalem and associated in meaning with shālōm “peace”; see also Jerusalem ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Salem

Jones and Hogarth, an actor, bought 163-year-old Capel Salem on the Llŷn Peninsula in 2022 and have been transforming it into their dream home, alongside a pottery studio and community space.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Ever since a pole snapped in high winds and sparked the biggest wildfire in Texas history, Salem Abraham has been studying the metal tags that show when poles were last inspected.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

By his own account, Piker is now preparing a defamation suit against Jennings and Salem Media, and possibly Fox News, which cited the same debunked compilation.

From Salon ● Aug. 22, 2026

Salem, Ore.-based Agility Robotics plans to become the first pure-play public humanoid-robotics company in the U.S. through a $2.5 billion deal with a special-purpose acquisition company.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Because it dawned on me that I had told Joey about the Gatorade bottle when we were on the bus coming back to Pine Mountain from Salem.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith

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