Hem Definition

hĕm

hemmed, hemming, hems

noun

hems

The border on a garment or piece of cloth, usually made by folding the edge and sewing it down.

Webster's New World

Any border, edge, or margin.

Webster's New World

A short cough or clearing of the throat made especially to gain attention, warn another, hide embarrassment, or fill a pause in speech.

American Heritage

An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Antonyms:
center
interior
body

verb

hemmed, hemming, hems

To utter a hem.

American Heritage

To make this sound, as in trying to get attention or in showing doubt.

Webster's New World

To fold back the edge of and sew down; put a hem or hems on.

Webster's New World

To surround and shut in; enclose.

A valley hemmed in by mountains.

American Heritage

To hesitate in speech.

American Heritage

Synonyms:

interjection

(used to suggest) The sound made in clearing the throat.

Webster's New World

affix

Hemo-

Webster's New World

pronoun

Obsolete form of 'em.

Wiktionary

idiom

hem and haw

To be hesitant and indecisive; equivocate:

American Heritage

hem in

to encircle; surround
to confine or restrain

Webster's New World

hem and haw

to grope about in speech, while searching for the right words to say
to be vague or indecisive

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Hem

Noun

Singular:

hem

Plural:

hems

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Hem

Origin of Hem

From Middle English hem, hemm, in turn from Old English hemm and related to Middle High German hemmen (“to hem in”), Old Norse hemja (“to hem in, restrain”). The Proto-Indo-European root gave rise also to Armenian քամել (kʿamel, “to press, wring”) and Russian ком (kom, “lump”).

From Wiktionary
Old English him, heom, originally a dative plural form but in Middle English coming to serve as an accusative plural as well.

From Wiktionary
From Middle English heminge coughing of imitative origin

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English hem, hemm

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition