'empron.

Brit.

/əm/,

/m/, U.S.

/əm/,

/m/

Forms: 1.

α. Old English–Middle English him, Old English–Middle English hym, Middle English hyme. eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) cvi. 4 (5) Anima eorum in ipsis defecit : sawul heara in him asprong.eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 866 Hie him [lOE Laud heom] friþ [wiþ] namon.OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxii. 29 Ða andswarode se Hælend hym [OE Lindisf. him, OE Rushw. to heom, c1200 Hatton heom].OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.i) anno 1016 Hi gislas him [lOE Laud heom] betwynan sealdon.OE tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (Cambr.) xii. §1. 167 Þa com he to hym þær þær hig heora gesomnunga hæfdon and cwæð to hym: hu come ge hyder?a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 184 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 171 Enes drihten helle brec, his frond he ut brochte; him solf he þolede deð for him, wel dore he hom bohte.a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 137 Swa swete hit hem þincð and swa him likeð, þat hie nan oðer blisse ne habbeð.a1325 St. Brendan (Corpus Cambr.) 381 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 193 To foulen parais þulke day hy come; Anon so voules iseie him come, hi gonne synge imone Aȝen hom wiþ gret melodie.c1330 (?c1300) Reinbrun (Auch.) in J. Zupitza Guy of Warwick (1891) 654 Let hym in: Þai scholle be serued wel afyn.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 4995 Þus barouns by-gunne hym þanne to doute.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 2734 Abraham led him [Vesp. þam, Gött. þaim, Fairf. ham] inwey.a1450 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Lamb.) (1887) i. l. 1470 Coryneus highte þeir ledere, & meintened hym [?a1400 Petyt þam] in pes & were.c1460 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Laud) l. 16810 They comyn as he hym [Vesp. þam, Gött. þaim, Trin. Cambr. hem] bad.a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) l. 4542 I shall do my powre..hym for to take, and if I happyn wele, ffull sore thei shall repent it.

β. Old English hieom (rare), Old English hiom (rare), Old English early Middle English heon (probably transmission error), Old English (Middle English chiefly south-western and south-west midlands) heom, late Old English hæom, late Old English heam. eOE (Kentish) Will of Ealdorman Ælfred (Sawyer 1508) in F. E. Harmer Sel. Eng. Hist. Docs. 9th & 10th Cent. (1914) 13 Twa þusendu swina ic heom sello mid þem londum.eOE (Kentish) Psalm 50 (Vesp. D.vi) 57 Ðu synfulle simle lærdes ðæt hio cerrende Criste herdon and hiom lif mid ðe langsum begęton.OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.i) anno 1020 Se cyng for to Assandune, & Wulfstan arcebisceop, & Þurkil eorl, & manega bisceopas mid heom.OE Rule St. Benet (Tiber.) (1888) iii. 18 Quod eis visum fuerit : þæt hieom heom gesawen bið.lOE Will of Ordnoð & his Wife (Sawyer 1524) in D. Whitelock Anglo-Saxon Wills (1930) 16 Seo boc heam sy geara gyf hy hyre hwer beþurfan to ænire rihtinge.lOE King Ælfred tr. St. Augustine Soliloquies (Vitell.) (1922) i. 47 Ic ondrede þæt hy gebynden þin mod to hæom.a1161 Royal Charter: Henry II to Certain Bishops, Earls, Sheriffs, & Thegns in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 12 Ic hebbe heom geunnon þet hi beon ælc þare lande wurþa þe hi eafdon en Edwardes kinges deȝe.1258 Proclam. Henry III in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1868–9) 19 Vre rædesmen alle oþer þe moare dæl of heom þæt beoþ ichosen þurȝ us and þurȝ þæt loandes folk.c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) l. 1517 Mid heom þu holdest & heom bi werest.c1300 St. Brendan (Laud) 278 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 227 And setten heom a-doun alle on a rewe and wuchs heore fet alle.c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. Prol. 25 To penaunce putten heom monye.a1425 (?a1350) Seege Troye (Linc. Inn) (1927) 1580 Y no ȝeue a sore for heom alle.

γ. Old English (rare) Middle English–1600s (1700s (archaic)) hem, early Middle English hemn ( Ormulum, transmission error), Middle English heem, Middle English heme, Middle English hemm, Middle English hemme, Middle English heym, late Middle English hen (probably transmission error), 1500s–1600s 'hem; Scottish pre-1700 hem, pre-1700 heme. The Older Scots forms hem, heme occur in a text showing influence of southern English.OE Homily (Somerset Rec. Office: DD/SASC/1193/77) in Anglo-Saxon Eng. 33 (2004) 158 Here laf hem geteorode [L. deficit panes eorum].lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1123 Þa bed se kyng heom þæt hi scoldon cesen hem ærcebiscop to Cantwarabyrig.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 150 Itt turrneþþ hemm till sinne.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 208 For þare sibe-laȝe luue hem wes bi-tweonen.c1300 St. Quentin (Harl.) 104 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 459 Þe iustise let nyme þo spites of ire tueye & aboue þe schuldre scheoue hem in & out atte þies beye, and spitede so þis holi man.?1387 T. Wimbledon Serm. (Corpus Cambr.) (1967) 85 Þey þat were more worþy to be honged dampned hem þat beþ lasse worþy.c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 381 A Cook they hadde with hem.c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 11 If money or sum oþer þing be ȝeuen to hem.a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) xxxiii. 669 Thei en-busshed hem in a grove.a1525 (a1500) Sc. Troy Bk. (Douce) 143 in C. Horstmann Barbour's Legendensammlung (1882) II. 233 A ferlyfule sowne sodeynly Among heme maide was hydwisly.1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. May 27 Tho to the greene Wood they speeden hem all.1598 B. Jonson Euery Man in his Humor Prol. Except we make 'hem such.1616 B. Holyday tr. Persius Sat. v. sig. D2 To stuffe Thy swelling chekes, to break 'hem with a puffe.1717 E. Fenton Poems 175 Pardie, qd. she, syth theres nat room, Swete Nykin! chafe hem in myne woom.

δ. late Old English–Middle English hom, early Middle English hon (probably transmission error), Middle English home. lOE Salisbury Psalter liv. 20 Non enim est illis commutatio : na witodlice is hom awendednes.a1225 MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 77 Þet hwile ne studed hom nawiht þet ho singe pater noster and credo.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10567 Nu fusen we hom to [c1300 Otho to heom].c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7901 After estere hii gonne hom to sprede And robbi aboute & berne.?c1425 Recipe in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (Arun. 334) (1790) 425 Take raw ȝolkes [printed zolkes] of eyren and bete hom wel.1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. aviii Ye shall vnderstande the naamys off the membries of hawkys..the grete Clees behynde..ye shall call hom Talons.?a1500 Hunting of Hare in H. Weber Metrical Romances (1810) III. 282 Sum of hom had no taylys.c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 66 Sotly hyt semys not surfetus harde No vnpossibill thys pupull perfourme in dede That fyuetymes fewer before home has done.

ε. Middle English haam, Middle English ham, Middle English hame, Middle English han (probably transmission error). c1175 ( Ælfric Homily in A. O. Belfour 12th Cent. Homilies in MS Bodl. 343 (1909) 138 Þe Haliȝ Gast is heoræ begræ lufæ æfer bitweonæn heom of ham bam [OE Vitell. C.v hiom bam] ilice.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 45 Ic ham ȝeue reste.a1250 Lofsong Louerde in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 209 Þine vif wunden and þe eadie flod þet of ham fledde.a1325 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Cambr. Gg.1.1) 1839 Þai diden hame armie swithe welle, Both with iren and with stele.c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 131 Manye of ham.c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 248 Eueryche of ham hade ful riche ȝiftes, euery man as he was of value and of State.a1450 Seven Sages (Cambr. Dd.1.17) (1845) l. 310 Saye that I ham gretyng sende.a1525 Eng. Conquest Ireland (Trin. Dublin) (1896) 28 He bad ham well þorwe that thay sholden yn al manere senden after more of har kyn.

ζ. Middle English 1600s am, Middle English–1700s (1800s– regional and nonstandard) em, 1500s– 'em, 1600s e'm, 1600s 'um, 1600s vm, 1600s (1800s– regional and nonstandard) um, 1800s aam (Irish English (Wexford)). a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 57 No mam [read man] ne mai synnes beten er þanne he hem forlete, and shewe em his prest, and nime shrifte þeroffe.c1200 Serm. in Eng. & Germanic Stud. (1961) 7 62 An tre he am forbede.c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 5761 [Þe] king am [c1275 Calig. heom] axede read.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 5758 I am þine eldres god..for I am [Vesp. þam, Gött. þaim, Trin. Cambr. hem] led.1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Hay any Worke for Cooper 48 Ile befie em that will say so of me.1606 G. Chapman Gentleman Vsher ii. sig. C^v Come strew this roome afresh; spread here this carpet... Come sir Giles Goosecap, I must do all my selfe, lay me vm thus.a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. iii. 125 These joints..As I will leave 'em [1600 am] them.1665 R. Howard & J. Dryden Indian-queen v, in R. Howard Four New Plays 169 How can the Gods delight in humane blood? Think 'um not cruel; if you think 'um good.1689 Polit. Ballads (1860) II. 12 May they all repent 'um And to Holland be sent home, On condition we lose all the money we lent 'um.1711 J. Greenwood Ess. Pract. Eng. Gram. 67 Q. Have all Languages the Articles? A. No: For the Latin is without 'em.1763 ‘T. Bobbin’ Toy-shop (new ed.) To Rdr. p. x I know no moor on um neaw, than a seawking-pig.1859 J. Richardson Song. Sol. v. 3 I've weish't my feet; hoo s'all I soil um?1863 W. Barnes Gram. & Gloss. Dorset Dial. 22 ‘Da seem to em, that we be under em.’1868 F. J. Furnivall Temp. Pref. Canterbury Tales 41 (note) We can't blame 'em, as we all used to do the same.1939 P.G. Chadwick Death Guard ii. vi. 279 Thu'r lumps o' living oviplasm an' the only thing that's killed is the centralizing force which kept 'um working prop'ly an' stopped 'um from germinating.1997 J. Whinray Down 'long weth We 19 She order'd un to..taake out tha hearts from tha two dead yaffers [= heifers], steck um feerly full of fuss preckles, begin to rooast em for tha fire.2010 Independent 28 Dec. (Viewspaper section) 12/1 I love my gadgets (and I've got a gazillion of 'em to prove it).

η. Chiefly south-western and south-west midlands early Middle English hwm, Middle English hoem, Middle English huem, Middle English hum. Later evidence is provided by Ling. Atlas Late Mediaeval Eng., which records a form hum from the 15th-cent. MSS Rawlinson C.882 and Bodley 110 (whose scribal languages are placed respectively in Berkshire and west Sussex).a1225 ( Rule St. Benet (Winteney) (1888) Prol. 3 Swo swo fader deþ his bearn, ðonne he hum gram byð.?a1300 in E. Stengel Codicem Manu Scriptum Digby 86 (1871) 56 Alle þe stones..shulen smiten..Þat brigt fuir shal from hoem go.a1333 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 16 Hoem þat þou bouhtest on rode troe, Hoere wyssere euermore þou boe.a1350 Sayings St. Bernard (Harl. 2253) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 519 Me knelede huem by-fore.a1350 (c1250) Prov. Hendyng (Harl.) l. 287 in K. Böddeker Altengl. Dichtungen (1878) 299 Of þi soule huem ys eþe.

θ. south-western Middle English ȝam, Middle English ȝem, Middle English ȝeom, Middle English ȝom. Later evidence is provided by Ling. Atlas Late Mediaeval Eng., which records forms ȝem, ȝom from the main hand of the late 14th-cent. MS Egerton 2810 (whose scribal language is placed in Gloucestershire) and a form ȝam from the early 15th-cent. MS BL Add. 10301 (whose scribal language is placed in Wiltshire).?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) 267 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 295 And þo þe vntreunesse deden ȝam, hi ahte ben holde.c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) 5955 Ich ȝeom [c1275 Calig. heom] alle wolle for-don, and bi þan tyttes for-hon.a1325 Pilate (Corpus Cambr.) 15 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 698 As hii voxe, hii toppede ofte; þer nas wyþ ȝam no loue.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 1985 Þenne vor þe eliance þat were ȝam so bituene, [H]ii miȝte þis lond al in pes holde.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2650 A schrewed lessoun scholde þey lere somme of ȝam sone þas.

2. Combined (in contracted form) with a preceding word Middle English -em, Middle English -m, Middle English 1600s -am; English regional 1800s– -m. c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Royal) 460 Þu..feddestam fowrti ȝer iþe wildernesse.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) 1014 Flures bred And buttere, hem ðo sondes bed.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 3065 Þan þus doþþepers of fraunce torndem to þat ferde.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 752 Thoru skil on þar auen dede Suld be mettam al þair mede.a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 20 Take Rys, and wasshem clene.1605 G. Chapman Al Fooles in Plays (1873) I. 136 Goe Dame, conduct-am in.1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Em I 'ont zill em vor the money, but I'd let 'ee take the pick o'm in my prize.

Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.

Etymology: Originally the dative plural third person personal pronoun form, cognate with Old Frisian him (also hiam ), Old Dutch him , himo (also hin , im ; Middle Dutch hem , hen , Dutch hun , hen ): on the further etymology see discussion at he pron., n.¹, and adj. Parallel in inflection are Old Saxon im , Old High German im , in , Gothic im : see further discussion at he pron., n.¹, and adj.Changes in function, and eventual replacement. Originally the dative singular form, him and its reflexes gradually spread to uses that had historically shown the accusative (compare notes at senses 1b and 2), replacing hi pron.² in these uses (compare hi pron.² II.), before being in turn replaced as stressed form by them pron. in most varieties by the end of the Middle English period. In early modern English (and later in informal or colloquial use and in regional varieties) 'em largely functions as an unstressed form corresponding to them , although it is of distinct origin. (On the form 'em as a variant of them pron. in some modern Scots varieties see ζ. forms at them pron., adj., and n. and discussion at that entry.) Form history. In Old English originally formally identical with the dative singular masculine and neuter him him pron. (see Forms 1α). (The chiefly late West Saxon form hym probably reflects laxing of i in him in low stress.) In later Old English, forms with a diphthong are attested, most frequently as heom (see Forms 1β); these apparently occur earliest in Kentish and are also attested in later Mercian, but become frequent from the 11th cent. onwards, being well attested in late West Saxon. They are probably influenced by forms of the genitive plural showing back mutation such as heora (see discussion at her pron.¹ and adj.¹) and therefore are likely to have had a short diphthong rather than the long diphthong of Old English feminine nominative singular hēo hoo pron. or nominative and accusative plural hēo (see hi pron.²). The late Old English form heam at Forms 1β shows unrounding of the second element of the diphthong probably due to low stress. Occasional Middle English forms that appear to show long vowels (compare heem at Forms 1γ) are probably due to analogy with other case forms of the pronoun in Middle English; compare the Middle English forms of hoo pron. and her pron.¹ The spread of the diphthongal forms once they had arisen is usually attributed to systemic pressure, i.e. the need felt by speakers to differentiate between singular and plural in the dative. In Middle English it is mainly the diphthongal forms that are continued from Old English. Middle English forms such as him , hym (see Forms 1α) are rare, and some of the few apparent attestations may be due to scribal confusion with the singular (i.e. him pron.). Forms such as hem (see Forms 1γ) chiefly reflect the expected monophthongization and unrounding of heom . The form hem is apparently first attested in Old English in the Taunton Fragment (see quot. OE at Forms 1γ), but is probably to be interpreted differently in that source; compare discussion of the form here at her pron.¹ and adj.¹ Middle English forms such as heom , hoem , etc. (see Forms 1β, Forms 1η) show early and western preservation of rounding of the monophthongized vowel, and so do some of the forms at Forms 1δ such as late Old English hom , although others are probably to be explained in the same way as Middle English hore , hor (compare discussion at her pron.¹ and adj.¹) or as resulting from the influence of such forms. With forms such as ham (see Forms 1ε) and ȝem (see Forms 1θ) compare discussion of parallel forms of her pron.¹ and adj.¹ at that entry. The early form ham in quot. c1175 at Forms 1ε, however, is perhaps influenced by following bām , dative plural of bēgen (see bo adj.) The early attestation and eventual prevalence of loss of initial h- (see Forms 1ζ) is due to low stress; similar forms are found for other pronouns of the third person, as a pron., it pron., and the forms cited at Forms 1β, 1η at he pron. See also hymen pron.

colloquial and regional after the late 18th cent.

The objective (originally the dative) case of the third person plural pronoun, originally corresponding to the subjective hi pron.² (subsequently they pron.).

I. As personal pronoun.

a. As indirect object: = them pron. 1b.In early use also as (originally dative) object of an impersonal verb. In quots. eOE, ?c1250 with predicative adjectives (cf. respectively lief adj. 1c, well adj. 1a).

ΚΠ

eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 755 Þa cuędon hie þæt him [lOE Laud heom] nænig mæg leofra nære þonne hiera hlaford.

OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) xxxii. 32 Hi..forletan ðe. Forgyf heom þa synne.

?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1140 Æfre þe mare he iaf heom, þe wærse hi wæron him.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7636 Symeon..Ȝaff hemm blettsinnȝe baþe.

?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) 388 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 183 Of him to sene nis no sed; wel hem is þe hine bi-healdeð.

a1333 in F. A. Patterson Middle Eng. Penitential Lyric (1911) 67 Lyht of hoevene blysse hoem shyne wythouten ende!

a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 235 Hem semede þat þe legges were to feble.

a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) 3621 He for-ȝaff hit hom.

a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 222 They stode..and beggid, but none ȝaue hem eny parte.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. iii. 125 These my ioynts..As I will leaue vm [1600 am] them.

1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre i. vi. 105 in Wks. II I doe not say seuen moneths, nor seuen weekes, Nor seuen daies, nor houres: but seuen yeere wife. I giue 'hem time.

1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Acid in Chymistry signifies that sharp Salt..which is in all mix'd Bodies, and gives 'em being.

1726 J. Barker Lining of Patch-work Screen 68 He heard his Children cry for Bread, and he had none to give 'em.

1778 F. Burney Evelina I. xxi. 160 If ever they do again, I'll give 'em leave to sing me to Bedlam for my pains.

1854 C. Dickens Hard Times ii. viii. 219 It's policy to give 'em line enough.

1863 Mrs. H. Wood Castle's Heir xvii. 143 Master will..allow 'em a income.

1921 Boys' Life Oct. 6/3 I reckon I can't afford to make 'em a present of it.

a1969 in I. Opie & P. Opie Children's Games viii. 234 We give 'em one down the cake 'ole.

2004 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Nexis) 11 Sept. c12 Unless a server actually ruins your dining experience, leave 'em something to pocket.

b. As the object of a preposition: = them pron. 1c.Also with prepositions that originally took a complement in the accusative in Old English, replacing hi pron.² 2.

ΚΠ

OE Cynewulf Juliana 81 Ic þæt geswerge þurh soð godu, swa ic are æt him æfre finde.

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) i. 179 Þa becom godes grama ofer him [a1225 Vesp. A.xxii ofer ham] eallum.

a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 121 (MED) Mild-heorte he is togenes heom on two wise, alse him self seið on þe holi godspel.

c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 1455 Ich singe mid heom one þroȝe.

a1350 (a1250) Harrowing of Hell (Harl.) (1907) l. 132 Þou woldest me reuen moni of hem.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Josh. x. 11 God sente apon hem grete stonys from heuene.

1415 in F. W. Weaver Somerset Medieval Wills (1901) 401 Atte ye value of xx li. amonge hame.

1485 W. Caxton tr. Paris & Vienne (1957) 10 For eyther of hem mayntened.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) vii. 113 To hem he yaf hors and harneise, and money to their exspencis.

1598 Floure & Leafe in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 367/1 Hardily they were no thing to seke How they on hem should the harneis set.

a1652 R. Brome Weeding of Covent-Garden i. i. 4 in Five New Playes (1659) The matter of 'hem is such as if he could teach me to ask him blessing.

1672 R. Wild Poetica Licentia in Let. Declar. Liberty Conscience 35 Some men there be that carry all before 'em.

1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 45 In France it is usual to bring their Children into Company, and to cherish in 'em, from their Infancy, a kind of Forwardness and Assurance.

1750 W. Pelham Let. in Lady Chatterton Mem. Ld. Gambier (1861) I. iii. 36 You know my thoughts, I will trouble you therefore no more about 'em.

1829 G. Griffin Collegians II. xxii. 157 A body would tink it hardly safe to stand here under 'em, in dread dey'd come tumblin' down.

1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd II. xix. 222 He now wears shining boots with hardly a hob in 'em.

1913 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 22 Feb. 11/3 Look at those clouds—nor'wester behind 'em!

1971 U. K. Le Guin Lathe of Heaven (1973) ii. 15 He has wet dreams, and a guilt complex about 'em.

2010 P. Daniels Class Actor vi. 42 Islington council would send her troubled kids to see if she could do anything with 'em.

2. As direct object: = them pron. 1a.In Old English originally only with certain verbs that take dative objects (cf. quot. OE²). In later use increasingly with verbs that originally took accusative objects (cf. quots. OE¹, lOE), replacing earlier hi pron.² 2.

ΚΠ

OE (Mercian) Rushw. Gospels: Matt. ii. 8 Mittens eos in bethlem : sendende heom [OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. hi] to bethlem.

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) ii. 17 Min drihten, miltsa him, nyton hi hwæt hi doð.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1124 Þes kinges cnihtes..namen þone eorl Waleram & Hugo Gerueises sunu & Hugo of Mundford..& brohton hem to þone kinge.

a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 17 Hit is riht þet me hem spille.

?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 6 Mot vh mon neodeliche ham holden.

?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 91 (MED) He cam to his breþren & grettem eueruchon.

a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 2052 Thei comen to the kyng and bede Som of his good par charite And he with gret humilite..hem in bothe hise armes kepte And keste hem bothe fot and hond.

a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 3968 He dalt ham [Vesp. þam, Gött. þaim, Trin. Cambr. hem] in twyn.

1477 W. Pecock in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 421 Ye chal not leke wel be them whan ye se hem.

a1500 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 112 Nym..elys & gobete hem in mosselys.

c1600 (?c1395) Pierce Ploughman's Crede (Trin. Cambr. R.3.15) (1873) l. 96 Let hem forþ pasen.

1605 G. Chapman et al. Eastward Hoe iii. sig. E*^v They goe forth on holydayes and gather 'hem by the Sea-shore.

1702 Eng. Theophrastus 2 New-cast your poems, purge 'em of their dross.

1787 ‘P. Pindar’ Lyric Odes to Royal Academicians (ed. 5) iii. 8 Despising Pride, whose wish it is to wreck 'em.

1832 Ld. Tennyson Death of Old Year in Poems (new ed.) 155 He gave me a friend, and a true truelove. And the Newyear will take 'em away.

1868 F. J. Furnivall Temp. Pref. Canterbury Tales 41 (note) We can't blame 'em, as we all used to do the same.

1935 Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. vi. 127 Leave the weeds go. Somebody 'll come chop 'em some day.

1967 S. Marshall Fenland Chron. ii. vii. 220 She made nine or ten roly-poly puddings..and dropped 'em into the pot.

2008 New Yorker 15 Sept. 43/1 I call 'em Satan's potatoes.

3. reflexive. = them pron. 2.In early use sometimes with reciprocal force: (to) each other.

ΚΠ

eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. ix. 70 Agidis, Spartana cyning, & Antipater, oþer Creca cyning, wunnon him betweonum.

OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) i. 185 Ða cwædon hi betwux him [a1225 Vesp. A.xxii ham] þæt hi woldon wircan ane burh.

lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1123 Þa bed se kyng heom þæt hi scoldon cesen hem ærcebiscop to Cantwarabyrig.

c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13736 þeȝȝ baþe hemm hidden.

?a1300 Sayings St. Bernard (Digby) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 762 Þey beren hem [v.r. huem] wel swiþe heye.

c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xlviii. 6 Hii þat affien hem in her vertu.

c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 121 (MED) Men þat ben ypocritis hyen hom in holynes.

?a1425 Constit. Masonry (Royal 17 A.i) l. 7 in J. O. Halliwell Early Hist. Freemasonry in Eng. (1844) 12 A cownsel togeder they cowthe hem take.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin x. 149 Yef thei sholde hem arme.

1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 157 They..with sheepes clothing doen hem disguise.

c1600 (c1350) Alisaunder (Greaves) (1929) 304 Hur ȝates ȝeede þei too and youlden hem soone.

1682 ‘Mr Glanius’ New Voy. to East Indies 168 They brought with 'em six little Barrels of Saqui.

1726 T. Pope Stamford Toasts 8 When Phœbus drove his Chariot to the West, And Birds betook 'em to their little Nest.

1799 Coll. Constit. Songs I. 78 At last they bethought 'em of our Christmas cheer.

1833 T. Hook Widow viii, in Love & Pride I. 233 Young women as likes to look about 'em.

1893 in L. E. Broadwood & J. A. F. Maitland Eng. Country Songs 133 For to tickle their jaws, they bought 'em a shoulder of mutton.

1903 Forest & Stream 15 Aug. 122/3 As Sol had some fishing' gear along, they built 'em a raft an' went aout a-fishin'.

1995 in M. A. Hinsdale et al. It comes from People v. 114 Family got tired of that so they bought 'em a new car.

2005 S. Elmes Talking for Brit. iv. 96 They 'ad awls (holes) in 'em.

4. As indefinite pronoun: = them pron. 5a.

ΚΠ

1637 J. Shirley Gamester i. sig. B2^v I have heard 'em in the streets Saie there goes daring Hazard.

1699 P. A. Motteux Island Princess ii. 9 I heard 'em cry Fire, I wish I knew where 'tis, I'm deadly cold.

1711 W. Nicolson London Diaries 23 Mar. (1985) 563 At the Mint we saw 'em coin Union-Shillings (with the Roses) for the Maundy.

1836 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker (1837) 1st Ser. xv. 139 I guess I can see as far into a mill-stone as the best on 'em.

1898 A. Bennett Man From North xi. 95 Two guineas the suit, my boy! Won't I knock 'em in the Wal-worth Road!

1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor i. iii. 25 Ere we raised Barbados I was scrambling aloft with the best of 'em.

2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 182 The great showman's personal appearances shattered all existing box office records. He knocked 'em dead wherever he went.

5. In anaphoric reference to a singular noun or pronoun of undetermined gender: = them pron. 4.

ΚΠ

1706 E. Baynard in J. Floyer Anc. Ψυχρολουσια Revived (rev. ed.) ii. 42 He..told them, that if any body came in, he would certainly Drown 'em.

1896 A. Morrison Child of Jago vi. 61 Nobody's none the wuss for me knowin' about 'em.

1920 S. Lewis Main St. iv. 44 If anybody rubbers at you too long, I'll shoo 'em off.

1974 S. Terkel Working ix. 549 You'll meet a person and strike up a conversation with 'em.

2003 Wall St. Jrnl. 15 May c1/5 If someone was doing that in my shop, I would whip 'em with a wet noodle.

6. English regional (chiefly west midlands and south-western). Used for the subjective case: = them pron. 3.Chiefly in unstressed position, esp. in interrogative clauses or sentences; cf. C. Upton et al. Surv. Eng. Dial.: Dict. & Gram. (1994) 487.

ΚΠ

1814 Monthly Mag. Sept. 127/1 [Somerset] Did they see him? did 'em zee 'en?

1816 Repository of Arts Dec. 342/1 'Em do say, they wanted the young man for their selves.

1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. II. vii. 14 ‘Wer' be 'em then?’.. ‘Aal-amang wi' ourn in the limes’.

1862 T. Hughes in Macmillan's Mag. 5 243/2 'Em be aggravatin' birds, plaguey cunnin' let 'em be never zo lear.

1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) Where in the wordle did em all go to?

1979 N. Rogers Wessex Dial. 35 (table) 3rd pers. plur. [subj. statement] they, [subj. question] em, [object] em.

†II. As antecedent pronoun with postmodifying clause or phrase.

7. Followed by a relative clause or prepositional phrase: = them pron. 6, 7. Obsolete.

ΚΠ

OE Lambeth Psalter cxlvi.11 Beneplacitum est domino..in eis qui sperant super misericordia eius : gecwemedlic is drihtne..on heom þa þe hihtað ofer mildheortnesse his.

a1225 ( Rule St. Benet (Winteney) (1888) v. 27 Þeos [hyrsumnysse] ȝeðafnað heom [OE Corpus Cambr. þæm], þe na þing lewfre heom ne lætoð þonne Crist.

a1333 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 16 (MED) Hoem þat þou bouhtest on rode troe, Hoere wyssere euermore þou boe.

a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xvii. 14 This is the part of hem that wasteden vs, and the lot of men tobrekende vs.

a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 135 The þinges fellen as þei don of werre. Bitwixen hem of Troye and Grekes ofte.

?c1450 (?a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 370 Ȝif þe gospel is hid, it is hid to hem þat perschen.

a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 189 (MED) It schuld not be schewyd to hem that lyuen after the flesshe, ne to hem that are mystrowyng.

a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) xiii. 200 Ther dide Gawein soche merveiles in armes that wondirfully was he be-holden of hem of logres.

Derivatives

† hems adj. [ < 'em pron. + genitive ending -s ; compare theirs adj., hers adj., ours adj., yours adj., its adj.] Obsolete rare their, their own.

ΚΠ

a1450 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Yale) f. 113 To putte awey fro here hertes alle manere..of mysbeleue to boþe hems [v.rr. here, thayre, theyrs] and oure grete profyte.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	em
释义	emn. Brit. /ɛm/, U.S. /ɛm/ Etymology: The name of the letter M. Printing. The square, formerly of the type m, used in typography as the unit for measuring and estimating the amount of printed matter in a line, page, etc. The em of pica is the standard. Also attributive, as em quad, em quadrat, a square quadrat n. (see also quots. 1927, 1967). Cf. M n. 4. ΘΚΠ society > communication > writing > written character > name of written character > [noun] > others Bc1000 Dc1000 ellc1000 Fc1000 Sc1000 yogha1300 Pa1398 ess1540 tee1610 alif1727 cue1755 em1793 en1793 dee1795 double U1841 edh1846 wye1857 vee1883 gee1926 nut1940 kay1959 at sign1977 society > communication > printing > printed matter > arrangement or appearance of printed matter > [noun] > units of space in printing M1683 n quadrat1683 em1793 en1793 1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Quadrat There are Quadrats of divers Sizes, as m Quadrats, n Quadrats, &c. which are respectively of the Dimensions of such Letters.] 1793 in Stower Printer's Gram. (1808) xvii. 419 That em and en quadrats..be included. 1808 C. Stower Printer's Gram. xvii. 419 The ems and ens at the beginnings and ends of the lines not to be reckoned in the width. 1863 W. Blades Life & Typogr. W. Caxton II. iv. p. xliii When a ‘white’ line was wanted under a chapter head or over a colophon, em quadrats were ranged side by side for the purpose. 1864 Daily Tel. 3 Oct. [The printers' union] advanced its demands from forty-five cents to sixty cents per thousand ‘ems’. 1871 Amer. Encycl. Printing 309/2 Mutton Quad, a slang term, in English printing offices, for em quad. 1888 Encycl. Brit. at Typography The width of..pages..is expressed according to the number of ‘ems’, that is of a pica ‘m’—the square of the depth of pica..A page of 24 ems wide is equal to one of 4 inches. 1892 Academy 3 Sept. 199/3 (advt.) 49,000 American ems (equal to 98,000 English ens) were set in eight hours. 1927 R. B. McKerrow Introd. Bibliogr. i. ii. 13 Quads were no doubt usually square spaces, as broad as the height of a line. From the fact that the letter m (or M) used to be cast on a square body, such a square space is called an em-quad. 1967 E. Chambers Photolitho-offset ii. 12 Quads and spaces are the separation material used between letters and words. The em quad is the square of a given body size; the en quad is half the square width. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online March 2022). 'empron. Brit. /əm/, /m/, U.S. /əm/, /m/ Forms: 1. α. Old English–Middle English him, Old English–Middle English hym, Middle English hyme. eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) cvi. 4 (5) Anima eorum in ipsis defecit : sawul heara in him asprong.eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 866 Hie him [lOE Laud heom] friþ [wiþ] namon.OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxii. 29 Ða andswarode se Hælend hym [OE Lindisf. him, OE Rushw. to heom, c1200 Hatton heom].OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.i) anno 1016 Hi gislas him [lOE Laud heom] betwynan sealdon.OE tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (Cambr.) xii. §1. 167 Þa com he to hym þær þær hig heora gesomnunga hæfdon and cwæð to hym: hu come ge hyder?a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 184 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 171 Enes drihten helle brec, his frond he ut brochte; him solf he þolede deð for him, wel dore he hom bohte.a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 137 Swa swete hit hem þincð and swa him likeð, þat hie nan oðer blisse ne habbeð.a1325 St. Brendan (Corpus Cambr.) 381 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 193 To foulen parais þulke day hy come; Anon so voules iseie him come, hi gonne synge imone Aȝen hom wiþ gret melodie.c1330 (?c1300) Reinbrun (Auch.) in J. Zupitza Guy of Warwick (1891) 654 Let hym in: Þai scholle be serued wel afyn.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 4995 Þus barouns by-gunne hym þanne to doute.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 2734 Abraham led him [Vesp. þam, Gött. þaim, Fairf. ham] inwey.a1450 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Lamb.) (1887) i. l. 1470 Coryneus highte þeir ledere, & meintened hym [?a1400 Petyt þam] in pes & were.c1460 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Laud) l. 16810 They comyn as he hym [Vesp. þam, Gött. þaim, Trin. Cambr. hem] bad.a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) l. 4542 I shall do my powre..hym for to take, and if I happyn wele, ffull sore thei shall repent it. β. Old English hieom (rare), Old English hiom (rare), Old English early Middle English heon (probably transmission error), Old English (Middle English chiefly south-western and south-west midlands) heom, late Old English hæom, late Old English heam. eOE (Kentish) Will of Ealdorman Ælfred (Sawyer 1508) in F. E. Harmer Sel. Eng. Hist. Docs. 9th & 10th Cent. (1914) 13 Twa þusendu swina ic heom sello mid þem londum.eOE (Kentish) Psalm 50 (Vesp. D.vi) 57 Ðu synfulle simle lærdes ðæt hio cerrende Criste herdon and hiom lif mid ðe langsum begęton.OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.i) anno 1020 Se cyng for to Assandune, & Wulfstan arcebisceop, & Þurkil eorl, & manega bisceopas mid heom.OE Rule St. Benet (Tiber.) (1888) iii. 18 Quod eis visum fuerit : þæt hieom heom gesawen bið.lOE Will of Ordnoð & his Wife (Sawyer 1524) in D. Whitelock Anglo-Saxon Wills (1930) 16 Seo boc heam sy geara gyf hy hyre hwer beþurfan to ænire rihtinge.lOE King Ælfred tr. St. Augustine Soliloquies (Vitell.) (1922) i. 47 Ic ondrede þæt hy gebynden þin mod to hæom.a1161 Royal Charter: Henry II to Certain Bishops, Earls, Sheriffs, & Thegns in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 12 Ic hebbe heom geunnon þet hi beon ælc þare lande wurþa þe hi eafdon en Edwardes kinges deȝe.1258 Proclam. Henry III in Trans. Philol. Soc. (1868–9) 19 Vre rædesmen alle oþer þe moare dæl of heom þæt beoþ ichosen þurȝ us and þurȝ þæt loandes folk.c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) l. 1517 Mid heom þu holdest & heom bi werest.c1300 St. Brendan (Laud) 278 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 227 And setten heom a-doun alle on a rewe and wuchs heore fet alle.c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. Prol. 25 To penaunce putten heom monye.a1425 (?a1350) Seege Troye (Linc. Inn) (1927) 1580 Y no ȝeue a sore for heom alle. γ. Old English (rare) Middle English–1600s (1700s (archaic)) hem, early Middle English hemn ( Ormulum, transmission error), Middle English heem, Middle English heme, Middle English hemm, Middle English hemme, Middle English heym, late Middle English hen (probably transmission error), 1500s–1600s 'hem; Scottish pre-1700 hem, pre-1700 heme. The Older Scots forms hem, heme occur in a text showing influence of southern English.OE Homily (Somerset Rec. Office: DD/SASC/1193/77) in Anglo-Saxon Eng. 33 (2004) 158 Here laf hem geteorode [L. deficit panes eorum].lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1123 Þa bed se kyng heom þæt hi scoldon cesen hem ærcebiscop to Cantwarabyrig.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 150 Itt turrneþþ hemm till sinne.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 208 For þare sibe-laȝe luue hem wes bi-tweonen.c1300 St. Quentin (Harl.) 104 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 459 Þe iustise let nyme þo spites of ire tueye & aboue þe schuldre scheoue hem in & out atte þies beye, and spitede so þis holi man.?1387 T. Wimbledon Serm. (Corpus Cambr.) (1967) 85 Þey þat were more worþy to be honged dampned hem þat beþ lasse worþy.c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 381 A Cook they hadde with hem.c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 11 If money or sum oþer þing be ȝeuen to hem.a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) xxxiii. 669 Thei en-busshed hem in a grove.a1525 (a1500) Sc. Troy Bk. (Douce) 143 in C. Horstmann Barbour's Legendensammlung (1882) II. 233 A ferlyfule sowne sodeynly Among heme maide was hydwisly.1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. May 27 Tho to the greene Wood they speeden hem all.1598 B. Jonson Euery Man in his Humor Prol. Except we make 'hem such.1616 B. Holyday tr. Persius Sat. v. sig. D2 To stuffe Thy swelling chekes, to break 'hem with a puffe.1717 E. Fenton Poems 175 Pardie, qd. she, syth theres nat room, Swete Nykin! chafe hem in myne woom. δ. late Old English–Middle English hom, early Middle English hon (probably transmission error), Middle English home. lOE Salisbury Psalter liv. 20 Non enim est illis commutatio : na witodlice is hom awendednes.a1225 MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 77 Þet hwile ne studed hom nawiht þet ho singe pater noster and credo.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10567 Nu fusen we hom to [c1300 Otho to heom].c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7901 After estere hii gonne hom to sprede And robbi aboute & berne.?c1425 Recipe in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (Arun. 334) (1790) 425 Take raw ȝolkes [printed zolkes] of eyren and bete hom wel.1486 Bk. St. Albans sig. aviii Ye shall vnderstande the naamys off the membries of hawkys..the grete Clees behynde..ye shall call hom Talons.?a1500 Hunting of Hare in H. Weber Metrical Romances (1810) III. 282 Sum of hom had no taylys.c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 66 Sotly hyt semys not surfetus harde No vnpossibill thys pupull perfourme in dede That fyuetymes fewer before home has done. ε. Middle English haam, Middle English ham, Middle English hame, Middle English han (probably transmission error). c1175 ( Ælfric Homily in A. O. Belfour 12th Cent. Homilies in MS Bodl. 343 (1909) 138 Þe Haliȝ Gast is heoræ begræ lufæ æfer bitweonæn heom of ham bam [OE Vitell. C.v hiom bam] ilice.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 45 Ic ham ȝeue reste.a1250 Lofsong Louerde in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 209 Þine vif wunden and þe eadie flod þet of ham fledde.a1325 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Cambr. Gg.1.1) 1839 Þai diden hame armie swithe welle, Both with iren and with stele.c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 131 Manye of ham.c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 248 Eueryche of ham hade ful riche ȝiftes, euery man as he was of value and of State.a1450 Seven Sages (Cambr. Dd.1.17) (1845) l. 310 Saye that I ham gretyng sende.a1525 Eng. Conquest Ireland (Trin. Dublin) (1896) 28 He bad ham well þorwe that thay sholden yn al manere senden after more of har kyn. ζ. Middle English 1600s am, Middle English–1700s (1800s– regional and nonstandard) em, 1500s– 'em, 1600s e'm, 1600s 'um, 1600s vm, 1600s (1800s– regional and nonstandard) um, 1800s aam (Irish English (Wexford)). a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 57 No mam [read man] ne mai synnes beten er þanne he hem forlete, and shewe em his prest, and nime shrifte þeroffe.c1200 Serm. in Eng. & Germanic Stud. (1961) 7 62 An tre he am forbede.c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 5761 [Þe] king am [c1275 Calig. heom] axede read.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 5758 I am þine eldres god..for I am [Vesp. þam, Gött. þaim, Trin. Cambr. hem] led.1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Hay any Worke for Cooper 48 Ile befie em that will say so of me.1606 G. Chapman Gentleman Vsher ii. sig. C^v Come strew this roome afresh; spread here this carpet... Come sir Giles Goosecap, I must do all my selfe, lay me vm thus.a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. iii. 125 These joints..As I will leave 'em [1600 am] them.1665 R. Howard & J. Dryden Indian-queen v, in R. Howard Four New Plays 169 How can the Gods delight in humane blood? Think 'um not cruel; if you think 'um good.1689 Polit. Ballads (1860) II. 12 May they all repent 'um And to Holland be sent home, On condition we lose all the money we lent 'um.1711 J. Greenwood Ess. Pract. Eng. Gram. 67 Q. Have all Languages the Articles? A. No: For the Latin is without 'em.1763 ‘T. Bobbin’ Toy-shop (new ed.) To Rdr. p. x I know no moor on um neaw, than a seawking-pig.1859 J. Richardson Song. Sol. v. 3 I've weish't my feet; hoo s'all I soil um?1863 W. Barnes Gram. & Gloss. Dorset Dial. 22 ‘Da seem to em, that we be under em.’1868 F. J. Furnivall Temp. Pref. Canterbury Tales 41 (note) We can't blame 'em, as we all used to do the same.1939 P.G. Chadwick Death Guard ii. vi. 279 Thu'r lumps o' living oviplasm an' the only thing that's killed is the centralizing force which kept 'um working prop'ly an' stopped 'um from germinating.1997 J. Whinray Down 'long weth We 19 She order'd un to..taake out tha hearts from tha two dead yaffers [= heifers], steck um feerly full of fuss preckles, begin to rooast em for tha fire.2010 Independent 28 Dec. (Viewspaper section) 12/1 I love my gadgets (and I've got a gazillion of 'em to prove it). η. Chiefly south-western and south-west midlands early Middle English hwm, Middle English hoem, Middle English huem, Middle English hum. Later evidence is provided by Ling. Atlas Late Mediaeval Eng., which records a form hum from the 15th-cent. MSS Rawlinson C.882 and Bodley 110 (whose scribal languages are placed respectively in Berkshire and west Sussex).a1225 ( Rule St. Benet (Winteney) (1888) Prol. 3 Swo swo fader deþ his bearn, ðonne he hum gram byð.?a1300 in E. Stengel Codicem Manu Scriptum Digby 86 (1871) 56 Alle þe stones..shulen smiten..Þat brigt fuir shal from hoem go.a1333 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 16 Hoem þat þou bouhtest on rode troe, Hoere wyssere euermore þou boe.a1350 Sayings St. Bernard (Harl. 2253) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 519 Me knelede huem by-fore.a1350 (c1250) Prov. Hendyng (Harl.) l. 287 in K. Böddeker Altengl. Dichtungen (1878) 299 Of þi soule huem ys eþe. θ. south-western Middle English ȝam, Middle English ȝem, Middle English ȝeom, Middle English ȝom. Later evidence is provided by Ling. Atlas Late Mediaeval Eng., which records forms ȝem, ȝom from the main hand of the late 14th-cent. MS Egerton 2810 (whose scribal language is placed in Gloucestershire) and a form ȝam from the early 15th-cent. MS BL Add. 10301 (whose scribal language is placed in Wiltshire).?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) 267 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 295 And þo þe vntreunesse deden ȝam, hi ahte ben holde.c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) 5955 Ich ȝeom [c1275 Calig. heom] alle wolle for-don, and bi þan tyttes for-hon.a1325 Pilate (Corpus Cambr.) 15 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 698 As hii voxe, hii toppede ofte; þer nas wyþ ȝam no loue.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 1985 Þenne vor þe eliance þat were ȝam so bituene, [H]ii miȝte þis lond al in pes holde.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 2650 A schrewed lessoun scholde þey lere somme of ȝam sone þas. 2. Combined (in contracted form) with a preceding word Middle English -em, Middle English -m, Middle English 1600s -am; English regional 1800s– -m. c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Royal) 460 Þu..feddestam fowrti ȝer iþe wildernesse.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) 1014 Flures bred And buttere, hem ðo sondes bed.c1380 Sir Ferumbras (1879) l. 3065 Þan þus doþþepers of fraunce torndem to þat ferde.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) 752 Thoru skil on þar auen dede Suld be mettam al þair mede.a1450 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 20 Take Rys, and wasshem clene.1605 G. Chapman Al Fooles in Plays (1873) I. 136 Goe Dame, conduct-am in.1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Em I 'ont zill em vor the money, but I'd let 'ee take the pick o'm in my prize. Origin: A word inherited from Germanic. Etymology: Originally the dative plural third person personal pronoun form, cognate with Old Frisian him (also hiam ), Old Dutch him , himo (also hin , im ; Middle Dutch hem , hen , Dutch hun , hen ): on the further etymology see discussion at he pron., n.¹, and adj. Parallel in inflection are Old Saxon im , Old High German im , in , Gothic im : see further discussion at he pron., n.¹, and adj.Changes in function, and eventual replacement. Originally the dative singular form, him and its reflexes gradually spread to uses that had historically shown the accusative (compare notes at senses 1b and 2), replacing hi pron.² in these uses (compare hi pron.² II.), before being in turn replaced as stressed form by them pron. in most varieties by the end of the Middle English period. In early modern English (and later in informal or colloquial use and in regional varieties) 'em largely functions as an unstressed form corresponding to them , although it is of distinct origin. (On the form 'em as a variant of them pron. in some modern Scots varieties see ζ. forms at them pron., adj., and n. and discussion at that entry.) Form history. In Old English originally formally identical with the dative singular masculine and neuter him him pron. (see Forms 1α). (The chiefly late West Saxon form hym probably reflects laxing of i in him in low stress.) In later Old English, forms with a diphthong are attested, most frequently as heom (see Forms 1β); these apparently occur earliest in Kentish and are also attested in later Mercian, but become frequent from the 11th cent. onwards, being well attested in late West Saxon. They are probably influenced by forms of the genitive plural showing back mutation such as heora (see discussion at her pron.¹ and adj.¹) and therefore are likely to have had a short diphthong rather than the long diphthong of Old English feminine nominative singular hēo hoo pron. or nominative and accusative plural hēo (see hi pron.²). The late Old English form heam at Forms 1β shows unrounding of the second element of the diphthong probably due to low stress. Occasional Middle English forms that appear to show long vowels (compare heem at Forms 1γ) are probably due to analogy with other case forms of the pronoun in Middle English; compare the Middle English forms of hoo pron. and her pron.¹ The spread of the diphthongal forms once they had arisen is usually attributed to systemic pressure, i.e. the need felt by speakers to differentiate between singular and plural in the dative. In Middle English it is mainly the diphthongal forms that are continued from Old English. Middle English forms such as him , hym (see Forms 1α) are rare, and some of the few apparent attestations may be due to scribal confusion with the singular (i.e. him pron.). Forms such as hem (see Forms 1γ) chiefly reflect the expected monophthongization and unrounding of heom . The form hem is apparently first attested in Old English in the Taunton Fragment (see quot. OE at Forms 1γ), but is probably to be interpreted differently in that source; compare discussion of the form here at her pron.¹ and adj.¹ Middle English forms such as heom , hoem , etc. (see Forms 1β, Forms 1η) show early and western preservation of rounding of the monophthongized vowel, and so do some of the forms at Forms 1δ such as late Old English hom , although others are probably to be explained in the same way as Middle English hore , hor (compare discussion at her pron.¹ and adj.¹) or as resulting from the influence of such forms. With forms such as ham (see Forms 1ε) and ȝem (see Forms 1θ) compare discussion of parallel forms of her pron.¹ and adj.¹ at that entry. The early form ham in quot. c1175 at Forms 1ε, however, is perhaps influenced by following bām , dative plural of bēgen (see bo adj.) The early attestation and eventual prevalence of loss of initial h- (see Forms 1ζ) is due to low stress; similar forms are found for other pronouns of the third person, as a pron., it pron., and the forms cited at Forms 1β, 1η at he pron. See also hymen pron. colloquial and regional after the late 18th cent. The objective (originally the dative) case of the third person plural pronoun, originally corresponding to the subjective hi pron.² (subsequently they pron.). I. As personal pronoun. 1. a. As indirect object: = them pron. 1b.In early use also as (originally dative) object of an impersonal verb. In quots. eOE, ?c1250 with predicative adjectives (cf. respectively lief adj. 1c, well adj. 1a). ΚΠ eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 755 Þa cuędon hie þæt him [lOE Laud heom] nænig mæg leofra nære þonne hiera hlaford. OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) xxxii. 32 Hi..forletan ðe. Forgyf heom þa synne. ?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1140 Æfre þe mare he iaf heom, þe wærse hi wæron him. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 7636 Symeon..Ȝaff hemm blettsinnȝe baþe. ?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) 388 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 183 Of him to sene nis no sed; wel hem is þe hine bi-healdeð. a1333 in F. A. Patterson Middle Eng. Penitential Lyric (1911) 67 Lyht of hoevene blysse hoem shyne wythouten ende! a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 235 Hem semede þat þe legges were to feble. a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) 3621 He for-ȝaff hit hom. a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 222 They stode..and beggid, but none ȝaue hem eny parte. a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iv. iii. 125 These my ioynts..As I will leaue vm [1600 am] them. View more context for this quotation 1631 B. Jonson Bartholmew Fayre i. vi. 105 in Wks. II I doe not say seuen moneths, nor seuen weekes, Nor seuen daies, nor houres: but seuen yeere wife. I giue 'hem time. 1696 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Acid in Chymistry signifies that sharp Salt..which is in all mix'd Bodies, and gives 'em being. 1726 J. Barker Lining of Patch-work Screen 68 He heard his Children cry for Bread, and he had none to give 'em. 1778 F. Burney Evelina I. xxi. 160 If ever they do again, I'll give 'em leave to sing me to Bedlam for my pains. 1854 C. Dickens Hard Times ii. viii. 219 It's policy to give 'em line enough. 1863 Mrs. H. Wood Castle's Heir xvii. 143 Master will..allow 'em a income. 1921 Boys' Life Oct. 6/3 I reckon I can't afford to make 'em a present of it. a1969 in I. Opie & P. Opie Children's Games viii. 234 We give 'em one down the cake 'ole. 2004 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Nexis) 11 Sept. c12 Unless a server actually ruins your dining experience, leave 'em something to pocket. b. As the object of a preposition: = them pron. 1c.Also with prepositions that originally took a complement in the accusative in Old English, replacing hi pron.² 2. ΚΠ OE Cynewulf Juliana 81 Ic þæt geswerge þurh soð godu, swa ic are æt him æfre finde. OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) i. 179 Þa becom godes grama ofer him [a1225 Vesp. A.xxii ofer ham] eallum. a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 121 (MED) Mild-heorte he is togenes heom on two wise, alse him self seið on þe holi godspel. c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) 1455 Ich singe mid heom one þroȝe. a1350 (a1250) Harrowing of Hell (Harl.) (1907) l. 132 Þou woldest me reuen moni of hem. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1961) Josh. x. 11 God sente apon hem grete stonys from heuene. 1415 in F. W. Weaver Somerset Medieval Wills (1901) 401 Atte ye value of xx li. amonge hame. 1485 W. Caxton tr. Paris & Vienne (1957) 10 For eyther of hem mayntened. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) vii. 113 To hem he yaf hors and harneise, and money to their exspencis. 1598 Floure & Leafe in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 367/1 Hardily they were no thing to seke How they on hem should the harneis set. a1652 R. Brome Weeding of Covent-Garden i. i. 4 in Five New Playes (1659) The matter of 'hem is such as if he could teach me to ask him blessing. 1672 R. Wild Poetica Licentia in Let. Declar. Liberty Conscience 35 Some men there be that carry all before 'em. 1705 J. Addison Remarks Italy 45 In France it is usual to bring their Children into Company, and to cherish in 'em, from their Infancy, a kind of Forwardness and Assurance. 1750 W. Pelham Let. in Lady Chatterton Mem. Ld. Gambier (1861) I. iii. 36 You know my thoughts, I will trouble you therefore no more about 'em. 1829 G. Griffin Collegians II. xxii. 157 A body would tink it hardly safe to stand here under 'em, in dread dey'd come tumblin' down. 1874 T. Hardy Far from Madding Crowd II. xix. 222 He now wears shining boots with hardly a hob in 'em. 1913 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 22 Feb. 11/3 Look at those clouds—nor'wester behind 'em! 1971 U. K. Le Guin Lathe of Heaven (1973) ii. 15 He has wet dreams, and a guilt complex about 'em. 2010 P. Daniels Class Actor vi. 42 Islington council would send her troubled kids to see if she could do anything with 'em. 2. As direct object: = them pron. 1a.In Old English originally only with certain verbs that take dative objects (cf. quot. OE²). In later use increasingly with verbs that originally took accusative objects (cf. quots. OE¹, lOE), replacing earlier hi pron.² 2. ΚΠ OE (Mercian) Rushw. Gospels: Matt. ii. 8 Mittens eos in bethlem : sendende heom [OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. hi] to bethlem. OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) ii. 17 Min drihten, miltsa him, nyton hi hwæt hi doð. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1124 Þes kinges cnihtes..namen þone eorl Waleram & Hugo Gerueises sunu & Hugo of Mundford..& brohton hem to þone kinge. a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 17 Hit is riht þet me hem spille. ?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 6 Mot vh mon neodeliche ham holden. ?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 91 (MED) He cam to his breþren & grettem eueruchon. a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 2052 Thei comen to the kyng and bede Som of his good par charite And he with gret humilite..hem in bothe hise armes kepte And keste hem bothe fot and hond. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 3968 He dalt ham [Vesp. þam, Gött. þaim, Trin. Cambr. hem] in twyn. 1477 W. Pecock in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 421 Ye chal not leke wel be them whan ye se hem. a1500 in T. Austin Two 15th-cent. Cookery-bks. (1888) 112 Nym..elys & gobete hem in mosselys. c1600 (?c1395) Pierce Ploughman's Crede (Trin. Cambr. R.3.15) (1873) l. 96 Let hem forþ pasen. 1605 G. Chapman et al. Eastward Hoe iii. sig. E^v They goe forth on holydayes and gather 'hem by the Sea-shore. 1702 Eng. Theophrastus* 2 New-cast your poems, purge 'em of their dross. 1787 ‘P. Pindar’ Lyric Odes to Royal Academicians (ed. 5) iii. 8 Despising Pride, whose wish it is to wreck 'em. 1832 Ld. Tennyson Death of Old Year in Poems (new ed.) 155 He gave me a friend, and a true truelove. And the Newyear will take 'em away. 1868 F. J. Furnivall Temp. Pref. Canterbury Tales 41 (note) We can't blame 'em, as we all used to do the same. 1935 Z. N. Hurston Mules & Men i. vi. 127 Leave the weeds go. Somebody 'll come chop 'em some day. 1967 S. Marshall Fenland Chron. ii. vii. 220 She made nine or ten roly-poly puddings..and dropped 'em into the pot. 2008 New Yorker 15 Sept. 43/1 I call 'em Satan's potatoes. 3. reflexive. = them pron. 2.In early use sometimes with reciprocal force: (to) each other. ΚΠ eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. ix. 70 Agidis, Spartana cyning, & Antipater, oþer Creca cyning, wunnon him betweonum. OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) i. 185 Ða cwædon hi betwux him [a1225 Vesp. A.xxii ham] þæt hi woldon wircan ane burh. lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1123 Þa bed se kyng heom þæt hi scoldon cesen hem ærcebiscop to Cantwarabyrig. c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 13736 þeȝȝ baþe hemm hidden. ?a1300 Sayings St. Bernard (Digby) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 762 Þey beren hem [v.r. huem] wel swiþe heye. c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) xlviii. 6 Hii þat affien hem in her vertu. c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 121 (MED) Men þat ben ypocritis hyen hom in holynes. ?a1425 Constit. Masonry (Royal 17 A.i) l. 7 in J. O. Halliwell Early Hist. Freemasonry in Eng. (1844) 12 A cownsel togeder they cowthe hem take. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin x. 149 Yef thei sholde hem arme. 1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 157 They..with sheepes clothing doen hem disguise. c1600 (c1350) Alisaunder (Greaves) (1929) 304 Hur ȝates ȝeede þei too and youlden hem soone. 1682 ‘Mr Glanius’ New Voy. to East Indies 168 They brought with 'em six little Barrels of Saqui. 1726 T. Pope Stamford Toasts 8 When Phœbus drove his Chariot to the West, And Birds betook 'em to their little Nest. 1799 Coll. Constit. Songs I. 78 At last they bethought 'em of our Christmas cheer. 1833 T. Hook Widow viii, in Love & Pride I. 233 Young women as likes to look about 'em. 1893 in L. E. Broadwood & J. A. F. Maitland Eng. Country Songs 133 For to tickle their jaws, they bought 'em a shoulder of mutton. 1903 Forest & Stream 15 Aug. 122/3 As Sol had some fishing' gear along, they built 'em a raft an' went aout a-fishin'. 1995 in M. A. Hinsdale et al. It comes from People v. 114 Family got tired of that so they bought 'em a new car. 2005 S. Elmes Talking for Brit. iv. 96 They 'ad awls (holes) in 'em. 4. As indefinite pronoun: = them pron. 5a. ΚΠ 1637 J. Shirley Gamester i. sig. B2^v I have heard 'em in the streets Saie there goes daring Hazard. 1699 P. A. Motteux Island Princess ii. 9 I heard 'em cry Fire, I wish I knew where 'tis, I'm deadly cold. 1711 W. Nicolson London Diaries 23 Mar. (1985) 563 At the Mint we saw 'em coin Union-Shillings (with the Roses) for the Maundy. 1836 T. C. Haliburton Clockmaker (1837) 1st Ser. xv. 139 I guess I can see as far into a mill-stone as the best on 'em. 1898 A. Bennett Man From North xi. 95 Two guineas the suit, my boy! Won't I knock 'em in the Wal-worth Road! 1960 J. Barth Sot-weed Factor i. iii. 25 Ere we raised Barbados I was scrambling aloft with the best of 'em. 2003 S. Brown Free Gift Inside! 182 The great showman's personal appearances shattered all existing box office records. He knocked 'em dead wherever he went. 5. In anaphoric reference to a singular noun or pronoun of undetermined gender: = them pron. 4. ΚΠ 1706 E. Baynard in J. Floyer Anc. Ψυχρολουσια Revived (rev. ed.) ii. 42 He..told them, that if any body came in, he would certainly Drown 'em. 1896 A. Morrison Child of Jago vi. 61 Nobody's none the wuss for me knowin' about 'em. 1920 S. Lewis Main St. iv. 44 If anybody rubbers at you too long, I'll shoo 'em off. 1974 S. Terkel Working ix. 549 You'll meet a person and strike up a conversation with 'em. 2003 Wall St. Jrnl. 15 May c1/5 If someone was doing that in my shop, I would whip 'em with a wet noodle. 6. English regional (chiefly west midlands and south-western). Used for the subjective case: = them pron. 3.Chiefly in unstressed position, esp. in interrogative clauses or sentences; cf. C. Upton et al. Surv. Eng. Dial.: Dict. & Gram. (1994) 487. ΚΠ 1814 Monthly Mag. Sept. 127/1 [Somerset] Did they see him? did 'em zee 'en? 1816 Repository of Arts Dec. 342/1 'Em do say, they wanted the young man for their selves. 1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. II. vii. 14 ‘Wer' be 'em then?’.. ‘Aal-amang wi' ourn in the limes’. 1862 T. Hughes in Macmillan's Mag. 5 243/2 'Em be aggravatin' birds, plaguey cunnin' let 'em be never zo lear. 1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. (at cited word) Where in the wordle did em all go to? 1979 N. Rogers Wessex Dial. 35 (table) 3rd pers. plur. [subj. statement] they, [subj. question] em, [object] em. †II. As antecedent pronoun with postmodifying clause or phrase. 7. Followed by a relative clause or prepositional phrase: = them pron. 6, 7. Obsolete. ΚΠ OE Lambeth Psalter cxlvi.11 Beneplacitum est domino..in eis qui sperant super misericordia eius : gecwemedlic is drihtne..on heom þa þe hihtað ofer mildheortnesse his. a1225 ( Rule St. Benet (Winteney) (1888) v. 27 Þeos [hyrsumnysse] ȝeðafnað heom [OE Corpus Cambr. þæm], þe na þing lewfre heom ne lætoð þonne Crist. a1333 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 16 (MED) Hoem þat þou bouhtest on rode troe, Hoere wyssere euermore þou boe. a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xvii. 14 This is the part of hem that wasteden vs, and the lot of men tobrekende vs. a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 135 The þinges fellen as þei don of werre. Bitwixen hem of Troye and Grekes ofte. ?c1450 (?a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 370 Ȝif þe gospel is hid, it is hid to hem þat perschen. a1500 (?c1425) Speculum Sacerdotale (1936) 189 (MED) It schuld not be schewyd to hem that lyuen after the flesshe, ne to hem that are mystrowyng. a1500 (?c1450) Merlin (1899) xiii. 200 Ther dide Gawein soche merveiles in armes that wondirfully was he be-holden of hem of logres. Derivatives † hems adj. [ < 'em pron. + genitive ending -s ; compare theirs adj., hers adj., ours adj., yours adj., its adj.] Obsolete rare their, their own. ΚΠ a1450 N. Love Mirror Blessed Life (Yale) f. 113 To putte awey fro here hertes alle manere..of mysbeleue to boþe hems [v.rr. here, thayre, theyrs] and oure grete profyte. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2013; most recently modified version published online June 2022). > see also also refers to : em-prefix > as lemmas E.M. E.M. n. Earl Marshal (see Earl Marshal n. 1). Π 1700 Proc. Bill of Divorce (facing title page) I Do Appoint Matthew Gillyflower and John Barnes, to Print the Bill for my Divorce from the Lady Mary Mordant... NORFOLKE, E. M. 1794 Gentleman's Mag. Feb. 187/2 His funeral..was also accompanied by his Grace the Duke of Norfolk, E. M. 1866 Index Catal. MSS Elias Ashmole 82/1 A commissioner for the office of E. M. 1876 J. H. Newman Let. 3 Dec. (1975) XXVIII. 142 Thank you for your information about the E.M. 1936 Orders for proclaiming His Majesty in London Gaz. (Extraordinary No. 12 Dec.) 8109/2 (list of signatories) Norfolk, E.M. 1959 G. D. Squibb High Court of Chivalry ii. 32 A dispute between two Cheshire gentlemen..which was heard and determined by George, Earl of Shrewsbury E.M. 1978 Music & Lett. 59 158 The plates are reproduced by kind permission..of His Grace the Duke of Norfolk, E.M., C.B., C.B.E., M.C. extracted from En.¹ EM EM n. Engineer of Mines. Π 1882 Indianapolis Jrnl. 3 Oct. 7/3 The professor of chemistry, Charles A. Colton, E. M., Ph. D., late of Columbia College, school of mines,..is on hand classifying collected minerals. 1943 Montana Standard 2 May 19/1 Louis V. Bender, former general superintendent of Anaconda reduction works and first graduate of the school, who received his E.M. degree in 1903. 2009 in J. A. Botin Sustainable Managem. Mining Operations 358 He holds an EM (engineer of mines) degree (1971) and PhD degree in mining (1987). extracted from En.¹ EM EM adj. electromagnetic (electromagnetic adj. 1). Π 1923 Wireless World & Radio Rev. 10 Feb. 636/1 The human ear..is also very greedy as to the band of sound wavelengths it requires for intelligible speech, compared with the band of lengths of E.M. waves required by the eye for perfect vision. 1978 Catal. National Bureau Standards Publ., 1966–1976 1 ii. 1532/2 The cells are especially useful for calibrating EM radiation hazard meters. 2015 S. Shahabi in P. J. Rosch Bioelectromagnetic & Subtle Energy Med. 149/2 Lower dilutions..did not show the emission of detectable EM waves by the instrument. extracted from En.¹ EM EM n. chiefly U.S. enlisted man (or men); cf. EW n. ΚΠ 1942 Yank 14 Oct. He is one of the most valuable EM in the WD. 2014 Japan News (Nexis) 7 Dec. 16 ‘The EM Club used to be located here,’ explained Kazuhisa Aihara, our 66-year-old volunteer guide. extracted from En.¹ < n.1793pron.eOE see also as lemmas
随便看	to wet whistle, weasand, mouth, beak, beard to weve off to weve up to what fine to what intent to wheedle in with to wheedle with to whelve over to where to whet one's whistle to while to whiles to whilst to whip a game to whip a person's ass to whip all creation to whip ass to whip creation to whip it in with to whip one's weight in wildcats to whip the cat to whip the devil round the post to whip the devil round the stump to whip the game to whistle down the wind

emn.

'empron.

Derivatives

> see also

> as lemmas