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hem
1[hem]
verb (used with object)
to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.
to enclose or confine (usually followed by in, around, orabout ).
hemmed in by enemies.
noun
an edge made by folding back the margin of cloth and sewing it down.
the edge or border of a garment, drape, etc., especially at the bottom.
the edge, border, or margin of anything.
Architecture.the raised edge forming the volute of an Ionic capital.
hem
2[hem]
interjection
(an utterance resembling a slight clearing of the throat, used to attract attention, express doubt, etc.)
noun
the utterance or sound of “hem.”
a sound or pause of hesitation.
His sermon was full of hems and haws.
verb (used without object)
to utter the sound “hem.”
to hesitate in speaking.
hem-
3variant of hemo- before a vowel.
hemal.
hem
1/ ɛ /
noun
an edge to a piece of cloth, made by folding the raw edge under and stitching it down
short for hemline
verb
to provide with a hem
to enclose or confine
hem
2/ ɛ /
noun
a representation of the sound of clearing the throat, used to gain attention, express hesitation, etc
verb
(intr) to utter this sound
to hesitate in speaking or in making a decision
hem-
3combining form
a US variant of haemo-
Word History and Origins
Origin of hem1
Origin of hem2
Word History and Origins
Origin of hem1
Idioms and Phrases
hem and haw,
to hesitate or falter.
She hemmed and hawed a lot before she came to the point.
to speak noncommittally; avoid giving a direct answer.
He hems and haws and comes out on both sides of every question.
Example Sentences
The White House is currently hemmed in by its own bond markets, retailers, big business, many individual states and now its courts on this policy.
My husband was an expert in everything, even in the way I cut tomatoes, hemmed pants, folded socks.
Despite promising to prioritise UK economic growth, and polls suggesting the majority of Britons want to do more trade with the EU, Labour will feel hemmed in by the increasingly popular, Eurosceptic Reform Party.
Outside her window, farmland rolls into rocky coastline, hemming a glasslike bay striped with turquoise and populated by showboating dolphins.
There’s not much hemming and hawing over the dilemma.
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Related Words
When To Use
Hem- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “blood.” It is used in many medical terms, especially in pathology.Hem- comes from the Greek î, meaning “blood.”Hem- is a variant of hemo-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. The spelling haem- is chiefly used in British English.Want to know more? Read our Words That Use hemo- article. Other variants of hem- used like hem- are hema-, hemato-, and hemat-.As with haem-, all of these combining forms are often spelled with an additional a in British English, as in haemo-, haema-, haemato-, and haemat-. Historically, these forms have been spelled with a ligature of the a and e, as in æ-.Closely related to hem- are -aemia, -emia, -haemia, and -hemia, which are combined to the ends of words to denote blood conditions.You can learn all about the specific applications for each of these forms at our Words That Use articles for them.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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