Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
-ham. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
-ham, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
-ham in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
-ham you have here. The definition of the word
-ham will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
-ham, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From the convergence of two elements:
- Middle English -ham, -hame, from Old English hām (“home, farm, estate”), from Proto-West Germanic *haim. Cognate with German -heim and Dutch -hem, and doublet of home.
- Middle English -hamme, from Old English hamm (“enclosure”, often specifically “land enclosed by a river”), from the root of Proto-West Germanic *hammjan (“to pinch, to hem, to enclose”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): (always unstressed) /əm/, /həm/
- (US) IPA(key): (with secondary stress) /ˌhæm/, (unstressed) /həm/
This suffix often triggers a spelling pronunciation, especially after -t, as in town names like Grantham. When this happens, the /h/ in -ham is no longer pronounced.
Suffix
-ham
- Place-name suffix, variously indicating a settlement, farm or enclosure.
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading