seam

[seem]

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noun

the line formed by sewing together pieces of cloth, leather, or the like.

the stitches used to make such a line.

any line formed by abutting edges.

any linear indentation or mark, as a wrinkle or scar.

Knitting. a line of stitches formed by purling.

Geology. a comparatively thin stratum; a bed, as of coal.

verb (used with object)

to join with or as if with stitches; make the seam or seams of.

to furrow; mark with wrinkles, scars, etc.

Knitting. to knit with or in a seam.

verb (used without object)

to become cracked, fissured, or furrowed.

Knitting. to make a line of stitches by purling.

Nearby words

Origin of seam

before 1000; Middle English seme (noun), Old English sēam; cognate with German Saum hem; akin to sew¹, Greek hymḗn membrane (see hymen)

Related formsseam·er, nounun·der·seam, noun

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

Examples from the Web for seam

Fumbleroooohski…'” (39) “'Look at me, ungh, splitting my own seam, oohh… going deep.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Roll the pork over the stuffing, like a jelly roll, until the seam is facing down and the fat back is on top.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For a number of years, we lived in the Abu Tor neighborhood, right on the seam of East and West Jerusalem.
Life In Common|Yehudah Mirsky|July 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When we have thus turned the tale, the seam without, it may be thought too ridiculous to have attracted notice.
A True Relation of the Apparition of one Mrs. Veal|Daniel Defoe

Holding in his hands the chisel he had been working with, Harvey began chopping furiously at the seam in the ice.
The Rival Campers Ashore|Ruel Perley Smith
Apply the rosin to the joint, then with the heated iron and some solder tack the seam on the top, then on the bottom and middle.
Elements of Plumbing|Samuel Dibble
Does someone besides ourselves wish to find out if a seam yet exists?
The Underground City|Jules Verne
While I was working in this way, getting more enraged every moment, a bedbug ran out of the seam between my fingers.
The Woman Who Toils|Mrs. John Van Vorst and Marie Van Vorst

British Dictionary definitions for seam

seam

noun

the line along which pieces of fabric are joined, esp by stitching

a ridge or line made by joining two edges

a stratum of coal, ore, etc

a linear indentation, such as a wrinkle or scar

surgery another name for suture (def. 1b)

(modifier) cricket of or relating to a style of bowling in which the bowler utilizes the stitched seam round the ball in order to make it swing in flight and after touching the grounda seam bowler

bursting at the seams full to overflowing

in a good seam Northern English dialect doing well, esp financially

verb

(tr) to join or sew together by or as if by a seam

US to make ridges in (knitting) using purl stitch

to mark or become marked with or as if with a seam or wrinkle

Word Origin for seam

Old English; related to Old Norse saumr, Old High German soum

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 seam

seam

Old English seam "seam, suture, junction," from Proto-Germanic *saumaz (cf. Old Frisian sam "hem, seam," Old Norse saumr, Middle Dutch som, Dutch zoom, Old High German soum, German Saum "hem"), from PIE root *syu- "to sew, to bind" (cf. Old English siwian, Latin suere, Sanskrit syuman; see sew).