ham

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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
A baked ham (cured thigh of hog)

Etymology 1

From Middle English hamme, from Old English hamm (inner or hind part of the knee, ham), from Proto-Germanic *hamō, *hammō, *hanmō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (leg).

Cognate with Dutch ham (ham), dialectal German Hamme (hind part of the knee, ham), dialectal Swedish ham (the hind part of the knee), Icelandic höm (the ham or haunch of a horse), Old Irish cnáim (bone), Ancient Greek κνήμη (knḗmē, shinbone). Compare gammon.

Pronunciation

Noun

ham (countable and uncountable, plural hams)

  1. (anatomy) The region back of the knee joint; the popliteal space; the hock.
  2. (countable) A thigh and buttock of an animal slaughtered for meat.
  3. (uncountable) Meat from the thigh of a hog cured for food.
    a little piece of ham for the cat
    • 2012, Audra Lilly Griffeth, A King's Daughter, →ISBN:
      She put some ham in the beans and cut up some sweet potatoes to boil.
  4. The back of the thigh.
  5. (Internet, informal, uncommon) Electronic mail that is wanted; mail that is not spam or junk mail.
    Synonym: ham e-mail
    Antonym: spam
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Etymology 2

From Old English hām.

Noun

ham (uncountable)

  1. Obsolete form of home.
Usage notes
  • Persists in many old place names, such as Buckingham.

References

Etymology 3

Uncertain, though it is generally agreed upon that it first appeared in print around the 1880s. At least four theories persist:

  • It came naturally from the word amateur. Deemed likely by Hendrickson (1997), but then the question would be why it took so long to pop up. He rejects the folk etymology of Cockney slang hamateur because it originated in American English.
  • From the play Hamlet, where the title character was often played poorly and/or in an exaggerated manner. Also deemed likely by Hendrickson, though he raises the issue that the term would have likely been around earlier if this were case.
  • From the minstrel's practice of using ham fat to remove heavy black makeup used during performances.
  • Shortened from hamfatter (inferior actor), said to derive from the 1863 minstrel show song The Ham-fat Man. William and Mary Morris (1988) argue that it's not known whether the song inspired the term or the term inspired the song, but that they believe the latter is the case.

Noun

ham (plural hams)

  1. (acting) An overacting or amateurish performer; an actor with an especially showy or exaggerated style.
    Synonyms: hambone, hamfatter, overactor, tear-cat
    • 2023 June 13, Dwight Garner, quoting James Wood, “Cormac McCarthy, Novelist of a Darker America, Is Dead at 89”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
      Writing in The New Yorker in 2005, James Wood praised Mr. McCarthy as “a colossally gifted writer” and “one of the great hams of American prose, who delights in producing a histrionic rhetoric that brilliantly ventriloquizes the King James Bible, Shakespearean and Jacobean tragedy, Melville, Conrad, and Faulkner.”
  2. (radio) An amateur radio operator.
    Synonym: radio amateur
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

ham (third-person singular simple present hams, present participle hamming, simple past and past participle hammed)

  1. (acting) To overact; to act with exaggerated emotions.
Synonyms
Translations

See also

References

  1. ^ Hendrickson, Robert (1997) The Facts on File encyclopedia of word and phrase origins, New York: Facts on File, →ISBN
  2. ^ Morris, William (1988) Morris dictionary of word and phrase origins, New York: Harper & Row, →ISBN
  3. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024), “ham”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch ham, from Middle Dutch hamme, from Old Dutch , from Proto-Germanic *hammō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (leg).

Pronunciation

Noun

ham (plural hamme, diminutive hammetjie)

  1. ham (cured pork from the thigh of a swine)

Caribbean Hindustani

Etymology

Compare Hindi हम (ham, we).

Pronoun

ham

  1. I

References

  • Beknopt Nederland-Sarnami Woordenboek met Sarnami Hindoestani-Nederlanse Woordenlijst (in Dutch), Paramaribo: Instituut voor Taalwetenschap, 2002

Catalan

Catalan Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ca

Etymology

From Latin hamus.

Pronunciation

Noun

ham m (plural hams)

  1. fishhook

Derived terms

Further reading

Cebuano

Etymology

From English ham, from Middle English hamme, from Old English hamm (inner or hind part of the knee, ham), from Proto-Germanic *hamō, *hammō, *hanmō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (leg).

Noun

ham

  1. ham; meat from the thigh of a hog cured for food

Chamorro

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kami, from Proto-Austronesian *kami. Cognates include Indonesian kami and Tagalog kami.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

ham

  1. we, us (exclusive)

Usage notes

See also

References

  • Donald M. Topping (1973) Chamorro Reference Grammar, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.

Chinese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation


Verb

ham

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, euphemistic) to die

Synonyms

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hamr, Proto-Germanic *hamaz, *hamô.

Pronunciation

Noun

ham c (singular definite hammen, plural indefinite hamme)

  1. slough, skin
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Older hannem, from Old Norse hǫnum, the dative of hann (he). Compare Swedish honom.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

ham

  1. (personal) him: objective of han
See also

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch hamme, from Old Dutch *hama, from Proto-Germanic *hammō, from Proto-Indo-European *kónh₂m (leg).

Pronunciation

Noun

ham f (plural hammen, diminutive hammetje n)

  1. ham (cured pork from the thigh of a swine)

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Papiamentu: ham

Fiji Hindi

Etymology

From Hindi हम (ham, we, I).

Pronoun

ham

  1. I (1st person singular personal pronoun)
    Ham khelegaa!
    I will play!

Fyer

Etymology

Related to Gerka ram (water).

Noun

ham

  1. water

References

  • Roger Blench, Ron Comparative Wordlist
  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Ron *ham : Fyer & Bks. & DB & Sha ham, Klr. ˀaàm
  • Václav Blažek, A Lexicostatistical comparison of Omotic languages, in In Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the four fields of anthropology, page 122

Galician

Verb

ham

  1. (reintegrationist norm) third-person plural present indicative of haver

German

Etymology

A pronunciation spelling of haben.

Pronunciation

Verb

ham

  1. (colloquial) Contraction of haben
    Wir ham grad gefrühstückt.We've just had breakfast.

Usage notes

Usually used in the present or to form the perfect, though it may be seen in the infinitive as well. See also the note at haben.

Irish

Pronunciation

Noun

ham m

  1. h-prothesized form of am

Laz

Pronoun

ham

  1. Latin spelling of ჰამ (ham)

Middle English

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old English ham, hamm (enclosure), from Proto-West Germanic *hamm, from Proto-Germanic *hammaz.

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

ham (plural hammes)

  1. An enclosed pasture.

References

Etymology 2

Noun

ham (plural hames)

  1. Alternative form of hamme (back of the knee)

Etymology 3

Pronoun

ham

  1. Alternative form of hem (them)

Etymology 4

From Old English heom

Pronoun

ham

  1. (Early Middle English) Alternative form of him (him)
    • c1225, Þe Liflade ant te Passiun of Seinte Iuliene, ed. S. T. R. O. d'Ardenne, pp. 3-71.
      custe ham coss os peis alle as ha stoden.

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

Noun

ham (plural hamen or hames)

  1. (Early Middle English, Northern) Alternative form of hom (home)

Middle French

Noun

ham m (plural hams)

  1. village

Montol

Etymology

Related to Mwaghavul am (water).

Noun

hàm

  1. water

References

  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Tal hàm , Mnt. hàm "Wasser" ,

North Frisian

Pronoun

ham

  1. him third-person singular, masculine, objective
  2. it third-person singular, neuter, objective

Alternative forms

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse hann.

Pronunciation

Pronoun

ham

  1. him

See also

Etymology 2

From Old Norse hamr.

Pronunciation

Noun

ham m (definite singular hammen, indefinite plural hammer, definite plural hammene)

  1. skin or slough (discarded skin of certain animals)
Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Old Norse hamr.

Pronunciation

Noun

ham m (definite singular hamen, indefinite plural hamar, definite plural hamane)

  1. skin or slough (discarded skin of certain animals)

Derived terms

References

Old English

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *haim, from Proto-Germanic *haimaz.

Pronunciation

Noun

hām m

  1. home
    • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Assumption of St. John the Apostle"
      Ða het se apostol ða bære settan, and cwæð, "Min Drihten, Hælend Crist! Arære ðe, Drusiana; aris, and ġecyrr hām, and gearca ús gereordunge on þinum hūse." Drusiana þa arás swilce of slæpe awreht, and, carfull be ðæs apostoles hæse, hām gewende.
      Then the apostle bade them set down the bier, and said, "My Lord, Jesus Christ! Raise thee, Drusiana; arise, and return home, and prepare refection for us in thy house." Drusiana then arose as if from sleep awakened, and, mindful of the apostle's command, returned home.
  2. property, estate, farm
    • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint Maur, Abbot"
      ...and forġeaf sumne hām tō þǣre hālgan stōwe...
      ...and gave certain property to the holy place...
  3. village; community
Usage notes
  • In early Old English, the dative singular was always hām, not the expected form hāme.
Declension
Derived terms

Adverb

hām

  1. home, homeward
    hām gānto go home
    hām cumanto come home
    hām ċierranto turn home
    hām bringanto bring home

Descendants

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *hammaz. Cognate with Old Frisian ham, Middle Low German hamme (Low Low German Hamm).

Pronunciation

Noun

ham m

  1. Alternative form of hamm (enclosure)

Etymology 3

From Proto-Germanic *hammō.

Pronunciation

Noun

ham f

  1. Alternative form of hamm (inner knee)

Etymology 4

From Proto-West Germanic *ham, from Proto-Germanic *hamaz (covering). Cognate with Old Norse hamr.

Pronunciation

Noun

ham m

  1. covering
  2. garment, dress, gown; shirt
Declension
Related terms

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Frankish *haim (home, village).

Noun

ham oblique singularm (oblique plural hans, nominative singular hans, nominative plural ham)

  1. village

Descendants

Old Frisian

Ēn hām.

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *haim. Cognates include Old English hām and Old Saxon hēm.

Pronunciation

Noun

hām m

  1. home

Descendants

  • North Frisian: hamm
  • Saterland Frisian: Heem
  • West Frisian: hiem

References

  • Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 28

Old Norse

Noun

ham

  1. accusative/dative singular of hamr

Rohingya

Noun

ham

  1. work

Derived terms

Romanian

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Hungarian hám.

Noun

ham n (plural hamuri)

  1. harness
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

ham!

  1. woof, the sound a barking dog makes

See also

Ron

Etymology

Related to Gerka ram (water).

Noun

ham

  1. (most dialects, including Mangar, Bokkos, Daffo-Butura, Shagawu) water

Synonyms

References

  • Roger Blench, Ron Comparative Wordlist
  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Ron *ham : Fyer & Bks. & DB & Sha ham, Klr. ˀaàm

Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

Etymology

A loan from Hungarian hám.

Noun

hȃm m (Cyrillic spelling ха̑м)

  1. harness

Sha

Etymology

Related to Gerka ram (water).

Noun

ham

  1. water

References

Tal

Etymology

Related to Mwaghavul am (water).

Noun

hàm

  1. water

References

  • Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201, →ISBN:
    we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" :
    (1) Ch. *h-m "water" : WCh. *hama : AS *ham (Gmy. *hām) = *am = *ham = *ham : Tal hàm , Mnt. hàm "Wasser" ,

Tambas

Etymology

Related to Gerka ram (water).

Noun

ham

  1. water

References

Turkish

Etymology

From Persian خام (xâm).

Pronunciation

Adjective

ham

  1. raw

Vietnamese

Etymology

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “Related to tham? The shift of aspirated stops to /h/ is attested, but only in certain very frequently used words, which I don't think "to be greedy" can be considered one of.”

Pronunciation

Adjective

ham (𫺧, 𫻎)

  1. greedy
    ham chơi
    (disapproving) to be obsessed with fooling around
  2. eager; keen

Derived terms

Derived terms

See also

West Frisian

Etymology

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hammō. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

ham c (plural hammen, diminutive hamke)

  1. ham

Further reading

  • ham (II)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011

Yola

Etymology

From Middle English ham, from Old English heom.

Pronoun

ham

  1. Alternative form of him
    • 1867, GLOSSARY OF THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY:
      Ich drowe ham.
      I throw him.

References

  • Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 36