seamn.1
/siːm/, U.S. /sim/ I. Suture, junction.† 2. Anatomy. The line of junction of two bones forming an immovable joint, esp. in the skull; a suture. Obsolete.
1. † b. Surgery. The joining of the edges of a wound by sewing. Obsolete.† e. transferred. An intervening strip. Obsolete.
a. The junction made by sewing together the edges of two pieces or widths of cloth, leather, etc.; the ridge or the furrow in the surface which indicates the course of such a junction; sometimes (cf. seamy adj.2) the protuding edges of the joined pieces on the wrong side of the cloth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > seam
seamc1000
seamingc1450
c1000 Ælfric Homilies II. 254 And heoldon his tunecan untoslitene, forðan ðe heo wæs eal buton seame.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) John xix. 23 Forsothe the coote was with out seem, and aboue wouun bi al.
c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 11174 A man may se to sow a sem In the furthest of the chirche A-boute mydnyght.
c1430 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (Percy Soc.) 201 Hire crowpe doth the semys shrede, Whan they so streyght lasyd been.
1587 W. Harrison Hist. Descr. Iland Brit. (new ed.) ii. vii. 172/1, in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) I Then must the long seames of our hose be set by a plumb-line.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. 169 They weare short cloakes..with one small lace to cover the seames.
1630 M. Drayton Muses Elizium viii. 69 And euery Seame the Nimphs shall sew With th' smallest of the Spinners Clue.
1723 London Gaz. No. 6150/3 A white great Coat,..with two Gussits in the Shoulder-Seam.
1842 R. H. Barham Aunt Fanny in Ingoldsby Legends 2nd Ser. Each..began working..‘Felling the Seams’, and ‘whipping the Frill’.
1843 T. Hood Song of Shirt iii Seam, and gusset, and band.
1885 J. B. Leno Art of Boot- & Shoe-making ix. 76 The Oxonian or Oxford Shoe..was formerly closed with a flat seam.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > surgery > treatments uniting or replacing parts > [noun] > uniting fractures, wounds, etc. > uniting wound > by stitching
seam?1541
suture?1541
suturing1890
suturation1891
?1541 R. Copland Guy de Chauliac's Questyonary Cyrurgyens iii. sig. Lijv Demaunde, Howe many and what maners are there of seames? Answere, Thre, that is a seam incarnatyfe... The other seame sowyng hyght restrayntyfe of blode... The thyrde is called the seame of conseruatyfe..made..to mayntayne the lyppes tyll the wounde be closed.
?1541 R. Copland Galen's Fourth Bk. Terapeutyke sig. Gijv, in Guy de Chauliac's Questyonary Cyrurgyens All the great vlceres ought to be conioyned, eyther by seames or by byndynges.
c. An embellished seaming used in joining costly fabrics; an ornamental strip of material inserted in or laid over a seam; also, material for this purpose.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > seam > specific
seamc1394
round seam1626
fell1852
run and fell1852
French seam1882
dart1884
overseam1891
French seam1903
slot seam1918
jetting1923
channel seam1931
flat-fell seam1939
channel seaming1948
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > ornamental textiles > ornamental trimmings > [noun] > other
label1440
tag1570
O1587
velvet-guard1598
seam1687
looping1690
patte1835
sequin1857
flot1872
torsade1872
Sicilian embroidery1882
astrakhan1887
goffering1889
fob1894
strass1926
c1394 P. Pl. Crede 552 Þei ben y-sewed wiþ whiȝt silk & semes full queynte, Y-stongen wiþ stiches þat stareþ as siluer.
1496–7 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) 33 A ffyne Corporas..with semys of gold.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ccviijv The semes of thesame wer couered with brode wrethes, of goldsmithes worke.
1687 A. Wood Life & Times (1894) III. 230 The king..with an old French course hat on edged with a little seem of lace.
1833 T. Hook Parson's Daughter II. vi. 121 A small..‘page’ to aunt Eleanor..who, in that character..wore red seams down his pantaloons.
d. figurative. Also in colloquial phrases, as to burst (fall apart, etc.) at the seams.
ΚΠ
c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋42 Chidynge and reproche..vnsowen the semes of freendshipe in mannes herte.
1589 Pappe w. Hatchet in Lyly's Wks. (1902) III. 412 Hee runnes ouer his fooleries with a knaues gallop, ripping vp the souterlie seames of his Epistle.
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles v. 193 T'was wee that made vp this Garment [a coat of armour] through the rough seames of the Waters. View more context for this quotation
1693 J. Addison Ess. Virgil's Georgics in Wks. (1721) I. 250 Precepts..should be so finely wrought together in the same piece, that no coarse seam may discover where they join.
a1774 A. Tucker Light of Nature Pursued (1777) III. i. 327 One or two of Horace's purple rags botched together with coarse seams of abuse will gain prodigious applause.
1962 G. Ross & C. Singer Guilty Party in Plays of Year XXIV. 74 You were bursting at the seams a little. Can we ease the strain for you?
1965 J. Von Sternberg Fun in Chinese Laundry (1966) ii. 43 In a few instances when I thought that I would come apart at the seams..I managed to make the director listen.
1969 ‘V. Packer’ Don't rely on Gemini (1970) xv. 131 He had begun to fall apart at the seams—to imagine..that the stars..were conspiring against him.
1977 Times 30 Apr. 9/6 My marriage..came apart at the seams.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > condition of being long in relation to breadth > [noun] > long narrow piece > intervening
seam1678
vein1738
1678 A. Marvell Acct. Growth Popery (new ed.) 44 There is yet a Seam of Land between the French and us [the Dutch].
f. Cricket. The raised band of stitching around the centre of a ball. Cf. seam bowler n. at Compounds below.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > equipment > [noun] > ball > seam
seam1888
1888 A. G. Steel in A. G. Steel & R. H. Lyttelton Cricket (Badminton Libr. of Sports & Pastimes) iii. 119 The ball is usually, by a slow bowler, grasped firmly with all the fingers resting on the seam, as this gives more purchase and resistance for the fingers to operate.
1906 F. R. Spofforth in Beldam & Fry Great Bowlers & Fielders 10 It is almost impossible to swerve unless the seam of the ball is up and down.
1948 C. Sly How to bowl them Out x. 75 The ball..resembles the planet Saturn in that it has a ring or projecting ridge round its waist..known as the seam.
1972 R. Illingworth Young Cricketer iii. 50 Grip the ball with the seam upright... Angle the seam to fine leg and not to third man.
g. French seam (Needlework), a double-stitched seam that is folded and sewn to resemble a plain seam on the right side.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > seam > specific
seamc1394
round seam1626
fell1852
run and fell1852
French seam1882
dart1884
overseam1891
French seam1903
slot seam1918
jetting1923
channel seam1931
flat-fell seam1939
channel seaming1948
1903 Home Fashions 12 Sept. 18/3 The sleeve is joined by French seam.
1964 McCall's Sewing in Colour 276/1 After cutting the panels, join them with tiny French seams.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > joint > types of joint > [noun]
seamc1050
commissure?a1425
arthrodia1565
commissary1577
gomphosis1578
inarticulation1578
suture1578
symphysis1578
synarthrosis1578
adarticulation1615
harmony1615
synchondrosis1615
enarthrosis1634
harmonia1657
mortise-articulation1658
ball and socket1664
synneurosis1676
syssarcosis1676
ginglymus1678
syndesmosis1726
ginglymus1733
hinge-joint1802
screw-joint1810
schindylesis1830
amphiarthrosis1835
pivot joint1848
synosteosis1848
synostosis1848
indigitation1849
screwed-surfaced joint1875
thorough-joint1889
c1050 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 379 Cerebrum, seam þære heafodpannan.
c1400 Lanfranc's Cirurg. 108 Þe semis þat ben of þe brayn panne.
1552 N. Udall tr. T. Gemini Compend. Anat. B vij b The places where the bones do close together maye be called the seames.
1617 J. Woodall Surgions Mate 135 If the offence of the Pericranium be in the suture or seame it is more dangerous [etc.].
1653 T. Urquhart tr. F. Rabelais 1st Bk. Wks. xxvii. 127 If any thought by flight to escape, he made his head to flie in pieces by the Lambdoidal commissure, which is a seame in the hinder part of the scull.
1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) i. xxii. 55 It hath a line..which divides it into a right and left part, and is called a suture or seam.
3. An interstice formed by the abutting edges of planks; a narrow crevice between the edges and ends of the planks or plates of a ship. Chiefly plural.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > [noun] > planking > each continuous line of planking > seam between planks
seamc1000
rend1704
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > floor > [noun] > opening between floorboards
crack1825
seam1844
c1000 Ælfric Homilies I. 20 Wyrc þe nu ænne arc,..gehref hit eall, and geclæm ealle þa seamas mid tyrwan.
1497 in M. Oppenheim Naval Accts. & Inventories Henry VII (1896) 294 Payed for..here & Scye..layed in the Semys of the seid Ship.
a1618 W. Raleigh Observ. Royal Navy (1650) 27 Ocum wherewith they Calke the seams of the Ships.
1667 J. Dryden Annus Mirabilis 1666 cxlvii. 38 With boiling Pitch another near at hand..the seams instops.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson i. viii. 79 The ship..let in the water at every seam.
1790 W. Cowper On Receipt Mother's Picture 103 Sails ript, seams op'ning wide, and compass lost.
1844 T. Hood Haunted House ii, in Hood's Mag. Jan. 7 The floor was redolent of mould and must, The fungus in the rotten seams had quickened.
1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 820/1 When the planks are fastened, the seams or the intervals between the edges of the strakes are filled with oakum.
4. A line, groove, furrow or the like formed by the abutting edges of two parts of a thing; an indentation or mark resembling this.† d. Farriery = false quarter n. at false adj. 7a.
a. on a surface of rock, stone, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > mark on feature or surface > [noun]
seamc1330
footprint1552
stringa1728
wrinklea1807
ripple mark1831
ripple1838
grooving1846
wave-mark1863
sand-scratch1871
chatter-mark1888
cross-colouring1901
wave-marking1903
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. Wace (Rolls) 13976 Þe blod ran þer as water stremes In chynes, in creuesses, & in semes.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 555 As þe beryl bornyst byhouez be clene, Þat is sounde on vche a syde & no sem habes.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 134 That which at first seemed to be seams or joynings of the Stones, are only veins in the Rock.
1851 M. Reid Scalp Hunters II. xviii. 288 Shaggy pines hung top downward, clinging in their [sc. rocks'] seams.
1874 J. A. Symonds Sketches Italy & Greece (1898) I. xi. 212 The seams between the layers of bricks..yield no point of vantage to the penknife.
1876 D. Page Adv. Text-bk. Geol. (ed. 6) v. 91 The line that marks this separation between two strata is the seam or line of bedding.
b. on the face or body: †A long incised wound; †the parting (of the hair); a scar (of a healed wound); a deep wrinkle.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > wound > cut
carfa1000
seamc1400
slapc1480
gap?a1500
gash1528
cut1530
scarification?1541
chopping1558
slash1580
slaughter1592
snip1600
hacka1610
sluice1648
the world > life > the body > hair > hair of head > parting > [noun]
cleftc1325
shedc1325
shodingc1440
seam1585
part1864
the mind > attention and judgement > beautification > beautification of the person > beautification of the hair > parts of the hair or head relating to hairdressing > [noun] > parting
shodec1000
cleftc1325
shedc1325
shodingc1440
seam1585
parting1699
part1864
the world > health and disease > ill health > blemish > [noun] > scar
wama1000
wem1297
arra1300
nirtc1400
scara1425
cicatricec1450
fester?c1475
list1490
stool1601
cicatrix1641
cautery1651
seam1681
cicatricula1783
welt1800
sabre-cutc1820
stigmate1870
scarring1898
whelp1912
Mars bar1971
the world > life > the body > skin > textures or states of skin > [noun] > wrinkle
rimpleeOE
rivellingOE
rivelc1325
crow's footc1374
frounce1390
wrinklea1400
frumplec1440
freckle1519
line1538
lirkc1540
shrivel1547
plait1574
furrow1589
trench1594
crowfoot1614
seam1765
thought-line1858
laughter line1867
laugh line1913
smile-line1921
worry lines1972
c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 5631 In his front he him smot, The blod start out fot hot, He set on him a foule seme.
1585 J. Higgins tr. Junius Nomenclator 24 Discrimen capillorum,..the seame of the head or parting of the haire.
1681 J. Dryden Absalom & Achitophel 3 [They] looking backward..Saw Seames of wounds,..In contemplation of whose ugly Scars, They Curst the memory of Civil Wars.
1765 O. Goldsmith Ess. xxvi. 233 In vain she tries her pastes and creams, To smooth her skin, or hide its seams.
1800 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 3 263 Those irregular marks, or seams, found after other applications, are not to be met with after the turpentine.
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna xii. x. 255 The seams Of his rent heart..a creed Had seared with blistering ice.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge i. 233 A deep gash, now healed into an ugly seam.
1875 F. T. Buckland Log-bk. Fisherman 59 No seams are preceptible in the features.
c. Natural History (a) Botany (see quot. 17961); (b) Conchology (see quot. 1816).
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > seed > seed-vessel or pericarp > [noun] > division or section of > line formed by union of
seam1577
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Mollusca > [noun] > Testacea (shelled molluscs) > shelled mollusc > shell > part of
auricle1665
heel1673
lip1681
mouth1681
whirl1681
rib1711
antihelix1721
canal1734
columella1755
vesture1755
body whirl1776
fent1776
pillar1776
pillar-lip1776
septum1786
aperture1794
body whorl1807
costa1812
seam1816
spine1822
umbo1822
varix1822
peristome1828
summit1828
nucleus1833
concameration1835
lunula1835
nympha1836
nymph1839
lunule1842
peritreme1848
body chamber1851
axis1866
umbone1867
liration1904
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 94v Wallnuttes..are set in the ground..the seame downeward, about the beginning of March.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) I. 79 Seam, the line formed by the union of the valves of a seed-vessel.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) I. 226 Berry not unlike a capsule,..coat very thin, opening by various seams.
1816 T. Brown Elements Conchol. 163 Seam, the line formed by the union of the valves.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > animal disease or disorder > disorders of horses > [noun] > disorders of feet or hooves
pains1440
mellitc1465
false quarter1523
gravelling?1523
founder1547
foundering1548
foot evil1562
crown scab1566
prick1566
quittor bone1566
moltlong1587
scratches1591
hoof-bound1598
corn1600
javar1600
frush1607
crepance1610
fretishing1610
seam1610
scratchets1611
kibe1639
tread1661
grease1674
gravel1675
twitter-bone1688
cleft1694
quittor1703
bleymes1725
crescent1725
hoof-binding1728
capelet1731
twitter1745
canker1753
grease-heels1753
sand-crack1753
thrush1753
greasing1756
bony hoof1765
seedy toe1829
side bone1840
cracked heel1850
mud fever1872
navicular1888
coronitis1890
toe-crack1891
flat-foot1894
1610 G. Markham Maister-peece ii. lxx. 334 A False Quarter is a rift or open back seame..in..the hoofe.
1682 London Gaz. No. 1712/4 Stolen.., two Gray Geldings, one..with Seams in his Heel.
1759 T. Wallis Farrier's & Horseman's Compl. Dict. Seams, or Seyms, in horses, are certain clefts in their quarters.
e. Agriculture. A furrow, (seed) drill.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > sowing > [noun] > seed-furrow or drill
seed furrow?1530
rigol1599
rilling1610
cornhole1655
rill1658
drill1727
seed seam1775
seam1799
1799 J. Robertson Gen. View Agric. Perth 153 The grassfield is ploughed before winter; it is harrowed thereafter, when the grass begins to shoot up in the seams.
1893 Surrey Gloss. (at cited word) You've no call to drill it, you've got a capital seam... I don't care for no seam, so long as I can bury the seed.
f. dialect. (See quot. 1870.)
ΚΠ
1870 H. Stevenson Birds of Norfolk II. 311 The rest of the ground, from which the turf is cut, consists of alternate ridges or ‘seams’ of peat, and wide trenches.
g. Applied to a streak of lightning.Apparently an isolated use.
ΚΠ
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. v. 41 The seams of lightning which ran through the heavens.
5. Geology. A thin layer or stratum separating two strata of greater magnitude.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > structural features > thin layer > [noun] > separating strata
seam1592
lissena1641
parting1708
stripe1799
slick1883
seamlet1891
1592 Sc. Acts Jas. VI (1814) III. 556/2 Quhensoeuir ony myne or seme of mettaill wes found be ony of the leigis of this realme.
1693 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 17 741 The Seam or Vein of Copper-Ore.
a1728 J. Woodward Attempt Nat. Hist. Fossils Eng. (1729) i. 166 I observ'd a Termination of a Seam, as they call it in the North, or a Stratum of Coal, where it divided into several thin Plates.
1794 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) I. 381 The seams are of a darker colour.
1813 R. Bakewell Introd. Geol. vi. 143 Numerous beds or seams of coal occur in one coal field.
1851 G. A. Mantell Petrifactions iii. §5. 304 The Kentish-rag is seen in nearly horizontal layers, separated by thin seams of loose sand.
6.
a. A joint used in uniting the edges of sheet metal either by folding and pressing them together or by joining them with solder; also, the line produced by this process. false seam n. see quot. 1881.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > joints
shem1688
butt joint1775
abutting joint1801
seam1825
plumb-joint1875
seam joint1882
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 634 The method of joining by seams..consists in simply bending the approximate edges of the lead up and over each other, and then dressing them down close to the flat.
1855 Technologisches Wörterbuch II. 451 Seam of a musket barrel (the jagged line produced by welding), die Schweissnath. Soudure.
1881 F. Campin Pract. Treat. Mech. Engin. ii. 32 When the casting is quite cool the false seams formed at the junctions of the mould are chipped off.
1882 W. J. Christy Pract. Treat. Joints 203 When the plumber forms pipes of large diameter out of sheet lead the seam is soldered.
b. Metallurgy. A superficial linear defect on worked metal usually caused by closure of a blow hole.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > metal > qualities of metals > [noun] > imperfections > seam or lap
seamc1840
lap1914
c1840 B. Legge Guide to Iron Trade 36 Having sems [sic] in a longitudinal direction.
1923 R. Glazebrook Dict. Appl. Physics V. 362/2 These surfaces become oxidised both during cooling of the ingot and during reheating for forging or rolling, and give rise to rokes or seams.
1924 R. H. Greaves & H. Wrighton Pract. Microsc. Metallogr. ix. 78 Seams show a similar microscopical appearance to rokes and are caused in rolling billets or bars by one portion of the metal folding over another.
1967 A. K. Osborne Encycl. Iron & Steel Industry (ed. 2) 373/2 Seams may also be caused by rippled surfaces or by recurrent teeming laps.
7. Knitting. [transferred use of 1.] A line of purled stitches (see purl v.2 4a) down the leg of a stocking, simulating the appearance of a joining. Also short for seam-stitch n. at Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > clothing for legs > clothing for legs and feet > [noun] > stocking > parts of > other
shanka1547
heelc1571
heeling1591
stocking-sole1607
scogger1615
calfa1658
stocking top1664
seama1825
rig1838
ladder-stop1931
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > stitch > other
accrue1725
gobble stitch1788
seam-stitch1825
marking stitch1861
dot1882
seam1882
basket-darning1884
basting1885
bridle1885
padding stitch1913
stab-stitch1917
tuck-stitch1926
prick stitch1928
fishbone-stitch1932
pad stitch1964
a1825 R. Forby Vocab. E. Anglia (1830) at Purle The seams of stockings..are purled.
1849 E. Copley Comprehensive Knitting-bk. 12 In stocking knitting, the 1st method [of reducing the number of stitches] is employed when a narrowing is required just before what is called the ‘seam’.
1882 S. F. A. Caulfeild & B. C. Saward Dict. Needlework 286/1 Seam, a name given to Purl Knitting, but usually indicating the one Purled Stitch down the leg of a stocking that forms the seam.
8. (See quot. 1867.)
ΚΠ
1867 R. Hunt Ure's Dict. Arts (ed. 6) II. 286 Such also are the rags known technically as ‘seams’; being the clippings which fall from woollen rags under the scissors of the sorters.
II. Sewing; needlework.
9. [Compare Old Norse saumar plural; also Old English séamere tailor.] Sewing, needlework; also in †work of seam. white seam, plain needlework. Obsolete exc. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn
seama1400
sewingc1400
bridling1837
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > [noun] > sewing
sewingc1290
seama1400
poiningc1450
needle-toil1822
suturation1891
Jewing1901
a1400 Octouian 1865 Y dwellede yn Jerusalem With kyng and quene, And taught her maydenys werk of sem.
1581 Nicol Burne's Disput. 189 b From threid, seyme, and neidil, To danse at the feidil.
1594 J. Lyly Mother Bombie i. iii. sig. B It is you that goe about to match your [printed my] girle with my boy, shee beeing more fit for seames than for marriage.
1738 in Fasti Aberd. (1854) 447 The want of an accomplished gentlewoman for teaching white and coloured seam.
a1796 R. Burns Poems & ongs (1968) I. 278 Gae mind your seam, ye prick the louse.
1818 S. E. Ferrier Marriage I. xiv. 188 With..a large work-bag well stuffed with white-seam, she took her place.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. ii. v. 123 Citoyennes who bring their seam with them, or their knitting-needles.
1882 Harper's Mag. June 117 He asked her to put down her seam, and come for a walk.
Compounds
seam allowance n. the amount of material in sewing which is calculated to be taken in by a seam.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > seam > allowance for
allowance1893
seam allowance1949
1949 I. R. Duncan Compl. Sewing Bk. xv. 301 Plain seams may be used for every type of garment... The amount of seam allowance depends upon the material; generally from 3/ 8 to 1/ 2 an inch is required.
1964 McCall's Sewing in Colour 277/1 Press fold formed along edge of seam allowance.
1977 R. Richardson Discovering Patchwork 63/2 Window templates made of clear plastic with a shaded area round the edge... The shaded area is the seam allowance.
ΚΠ
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 153 The tailȝeour baith with speir and scheild Convoyit wes vnto the feild, With mony a lymmar loun: Off seme byttaris.
seam-blast n. (see quot. 1860).
ΚΠ
1860 J. E. Worcester Dict. Eng. Lang. (citing Hale) Seam-blast, a blast made by filling with powder the seams or crevices made by a previous drill-blast.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > structural parts > bone or bones > skull > parts of skull > [noun] > parietal bones
side bone1565
seam-bone1576
parietal bone1706
parietal1739
1576 G. Baker tr. C. Gesner Newe Jewell of Health iii. f. 170v Take the hinder seame bones of dead men (named Sutura laborides) those put into calcyning.
seam bowler n. Cricket a medium or fast bowler who uses the seam to make the ball deviate in the air or off the pitch during delivery.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricketer > [noun] > bowler > types of bowler
slow bowler1823
fast bowler1828
bias bowler1854
round-arm1858
demon bowler1861
left-hander1864
chucker1882
lobster1889
slow1895
leg-breaker1904
speed merchant1913
leg-spinner1920
spin bowler1920
off-spinner1924
quickie1934
tweaker1935
swerve-bowler1944
pace bowler1947
seam bowler1948
spinner1951
seamer1952
wrist-spinner1957
outswinger1958
swing bowler1958
quick1960
stock bowler1968
paceman1972
leggy1979
1948 J. Arlott How to watch Cricket iii. 14 The term ‘seam-bowler’ is almost identical [with ‘pace bowler’] since it refers to those bowlers who use the seam to swing, or cut the ball.
1978 R. V. Jones Most Secret War xliv. 414 I had previously not believed such tales as the swinging of cricket balls by seam bowlers.
seam-bowling n.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > [noun] > manner of bowling > specific
fast bowling1816
lobbing1824
bias bowling1833
windmill1867
fast-medium1890
flick1897
whip1903
swerve-bowling1930
body line1933
tweaking1949
swing bowling1953
spin-bowling1955
seam-bowling1956
pace bowling1958
nip1963
wrist-spinning1963
1956 A. R. Alston Test Comm. 136 Johnson persisted in a seam-bowling attack.
1976 E. R. Dexter & C. Makins Testkill 174 The steady England pressure which was now resting on the excellent seam bowling of Kirkstead.
seam hammer n.
ΚΠ
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Seam-hammer (Coppersmithing), a creasing hammer for flattening seams and joints.
seam joint n. (see quots.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > joints
shem1688
butt joint1775
abutting joint1801
seam1825
plumb-joint1875
seam joint1882
1882 W. J. Christy Pract. Treat. Joints 202 [Plumbers' Joints.] Seam Joint is a mode of uniting the edges of sheets of metal by means of a seam.
seam-lace n. (Webster 1864) = seaming lace n. at seaming n.1 Compounds 2.
seam-presser n. (a) (see quot. 1843); (b) a tailor's goose for pressing seams (E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. 1875).
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > harrowing equipment > [noun] > roller
belly-roll1725
seam-presser1843
rib-roll1862
Cambridge roller1891
1843 J. A. Ransome Implem. Agric. 96 The seam presser is, in fact, an abstract of a drill-roller, consisting of but two cylinders of cast iron, which, following the plough in the furrows, press and roll down the newly turned up earth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > tear [verb (transitive)] > tear apart
to-loukc890
to-braidc893
to-tearc893
to-teec893
to-rendc950
to-breakc1200
to-tugc1220
to-lima1225
rivea1250
to-drawa1250
to-tosea1250
drawa1300
rendc1300
to-rit13..
to-rivec1300
to-tusec1300
rakea1325
renta1325
to-pullc1330
to-tightc1330
tirec1374
halea1398
lacerate?a1425
to-renta1425
yryve1426
raga1450
to pull to (or in) piecesc1450
ravec1450
discerp1483
pluck1526
rip1530
decerp1531
rift1534
dilaniate1535
rochec1540
rack1549
teasea1550
berend1577
distract1585
ream1587
distrain1590
unrive1592
unseam1592
outrive1598
divulse1602
dilacerate1604
harrow1604
tatter1608
mammocka1616
uprentc1620
divell1628
divellicate1638
seam-rend1647
proscind1659
skail1768
screeda1785
spret1832
to tear to shreds1837
ribbon1897
1647 N. Ward Simple Cobler Aggawam 76 J have here and there taken a few finish stitches..; but J cannot now well pull them out, unlesse I should seame rend all.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > seam > breach of stitches in
seamrent1755
1755 S. Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. Seamrent, a separation of any thing where it is joined, a breach of the stitches.
seam-rent adj. rent or torn apart at the seams, literal and figurative; (of a person) having torn garments.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > wearing clothing > [adjective] > wearing ragged or tattered clothing
tattered1340
fitteredc1380
renta1382
raggedc1390
fortattereda1500
seam-rent1548
shake-ragged1550
tottered1570
beragged1611
betattered1618
shagged1622
tagged1631
duddy1718
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > [adjective] > torn or torn apart > of cloth or clothing
teasedc1430
seam-rent1548
seamrept1625
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke iv. f. 31–7 Workes forbidden [on the Sabbath] as..to botche vp theyr garment beeyng broken or seamerent.
1600 B. Jonson Every Man out of his Humor ii. iii. sig. Givv I wonder at you..That you can consort your selues with such poore seame-rent fellowes.
1605 S. Rowlands Hell's broke Loose sig. E2 Our seame-rent Souldiers are exceeding bare.
1622 T. Dekker & P. Massinger Virgin Martir iii. sig. G4 All my hopes are seame-rent, and go wetshod.
1866 R. Hallam Wadsley Jack ix. 47 One on 'em fell on me... I wor compleately seam-rent.
1886 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester Seam~rent, said of a shoe when the upper leather begins to part from the sole.
seamrept adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > tearing or tearing apart > [adjective] > torn or torn apart > of cloth or clothing
teasedc1430
seam-rent1548
seamrept1625
1625 J. Wodroephe Marrow French Tongue (ed. 2) 128 My shirt is all broken, rent, and seamerept.
seam-ripped adj. ripped or torn apart at the seams.
ΚΠ
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) I. f. 363v/2 Which coate of Christian vnitie, abeit of long time it had bene now seameript before..: yet notwithstandyng in some peece it held together in some meane agreement [etc.].
1629 F. Quarles Argalus & Parthenia iii. 115 His seame-ript garments.
1887 T. Darlington Folk-speech S. Cheshire Shem-ripped.
seam-rip n. (see quot. 1891).
ΚΠ
1891 Labour Commission Gloss. Seam Rip, the ripping or tearing of the seams or joints of a boiler, caused by a too sudden expansion or contraction, &c.
seam-roller n. (a) (see quot. 1875); (b) = seam-presser n. (a) (Ogilvie, 1882).
ΚΠ
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Seam-roller, a burnisher, or rubber, for flattening down the edges of leather where two thicknesses are sewn together.
seam rubber n.
ΚΠ
1875 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. Seam-rubber.
1885 J. B. Leno Art of Boot- & Shoe-making xxv. 202 Seam Rubber..for pressing seams in order that they may be made to lie flat.
seam set n. (see quots.).
ΚΠ
1841 C. H. Hartshorne Salopia Antiqua Seam Set, a grooved wooden instrument used by shoemakers, for smoothing the seams of boots and shoes.
1843 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. I. 387 The seam-set for closing the seams [of thin metals].
1843 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. I. 393 The lap-joint..is set down flat with a seam-set.
seam-squirrel n. U.S. slang (chiefly Military) a louse.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > group Anoplura > order Siphunculata > member of genus Pediculus (louse)
lousec725
mysea1450
creeper1577
Welsh cricket1592
crawler1787
liceling1791
greyback1840
seam-squirrel1899
toto1918
1899 J. R. Skinner Hist. Fourth Illinois Volunteers 129 When it was first rumored that the old confederate seam squirrel had invaded our quarters, a small panic seized many.
1929 L. Thomas Woodfill of Regulars 240 The rest of the boys..stopped chasin' seam-squirrels in their undershirts.
a1956 C. J. Post Little War of Private Post (1960) 255 There is the gray-back, or seam-squirrel, from the days of our Civil War.
seam-stitch n. (see 7 above) = purl stitch at purl n.1 5.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > sewn or ornamented textile fabric > [noun] > sewing or work sewn > stitch > other
accrue1725
gobble stitch1788
seam-stitch1825
marking stitch1861
dot1882
seam1882
basket-darning1884
basting1885
bridle1885
padding stitch1913
stab-stitch1917
tuck-stitch1926
prick stitch1928
fishbone-stitch1932
pad stitch1964
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > textile fabric manufactured in specific way > [noun] > consisting of loops or looped stitches > knitted fabric > stitches > purl
pearl1542
purl1825
seam-stitch1825
turn-stitch1882
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Pearl, the seam-stitch in a knitted stocking.
seam weld n.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > welding > joint made by > types of
rust joint1839
butt weld1850
jump-weld1864
jump-joint1874
tee-joint1888
spot weld1908
tack weld1919
seam weld1920
fillet weld1929
fusion weld1930
braze1934
projection weld1938
flash weld1959
1920 Whitaker's Electr. Engineer's Pocket-bk. (ed. 4) 646 On light work, about 3 ft. of seam weld can be made per min.
1980 L. M. Gowd Princ. Welding Technol. xi. 164 After the first weld has been made,..the current must be raised to maintain the size of the welds. Accepting this limitation, satisfactory continuous seam welds can be made.
seam-weld v. (transitive) .
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > work with metal [verb (transitive)] > weld > with specific technique
seam1703
jump1864
tack1887
spot weld1908
seam-weld1917
tack weld1919
lead-burn1937
projection-weld1950
micro-weld1965
1917 E. V. Oberg & F. D. Jones Machinery's Encycl. VI. 496/2 Plates can be successfully seam-welded at a rate of about one foot per minute.
seam welder n. a machine for seam welding.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > metalworking equipment > [noun] > welding equipment
welder1896
spot welder1908
seam welder1921
welding torch1921
stitch welder1934
projection welder1946
1921Seam welder [see seam welding n.].
1959 Neumann & Bockhoff Welding of Plastics vii. 126 In using high-frequency seam welders, the breakdown strength of the plastic must be considered.
1976 Western Mail (Cardiff) 27 Nov. 6/5 Spot-welders, seam-welders and projection welding machines up to 20 KVA are also among the factory's equipment.
seam welding n. a form of resistance welding in which a linear weld is obtained by means of rolling disc-shaped electrodes which produce a line of overlapping welds (see also quot. 1964 for seam allowance n.).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > [noun] > welding > types of
butt welding1878
lead burning1886
arc welding1890
thermite process1905
thermite welding1906
resistance welding1908
spot welding1908
seam welding1917
fusion welding1918
projection welding1918
stud welding1918
metal arc welding1926
pressure welding1926
metallic arc welding1927
flash-butt welding1933
flash welding1933
stitch welding1934
rightward welding1936
block welding1943
submerged-arc welding1945
friction welding1946
T.I.G.1960
microwelding1962
1917 E. V. Oberg & F. D. Jones Machinery's Encycl. VI. 496/2 By the seam-welding process, two sheets of wrought iron or steel are welded together along the edge by a continuous lap-weld.
1921 Automobile Engineer 11 108/1 Seam welding..can be adopted with advantage when a tight joint is required.., a seam welder differing from a spot welder mainly in that roller electrodes are used instead of the pointed electrodes.
1964 J. A. Wordingham & P. Reboul Dict. Plastics 158 Seam welding, with thermo~plastic materials, the method of forming a welded seam, either by the use of welding rollers..for continuous welding, or by jig welding.
1975 G. Bram & C. Downs Manuf. Technol. ii. 62 Seam welding is similar to spot welding, the difference being that the spots overlap each other, making a continuous weld seam.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
seamn.2
/siːm/, U.S. /sim/ 1.
a. A pack-horse load. Obsolete exc. dialect. In early use also gen., †a load, burden.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > [noun] > of loads > a load
ladec897
seamc950
lastOE
burdena1000
charge?c1225
load?c1225
burnc1375
draughta1400
summerc1400
portage1445
pauchlea1450
fraughtc1450
freightc1503
loadinga1513
carriage1597
ballast1620
cargo1657
porterage1666
freightage1823
smalls1846
journey1859
send-off1909
payload1914
society > travel > transport > transport or conveyance by carrying > [noun] > conveyance by pack-animals > load carried by animal
seamc950
horse-chargec1350
soum1397
saddlecharge?a1500
horseloadc1500
summagec1500
fare1599
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xi. 46 Soð he cuoeð & iuh æs wisestum wæ forðon gie semað menn mid seamum [c975 Rushw. seomum] ðaðe gebeara ne magon.
c1000 Ælfric Gram. (Z.) ix. 59 Honus seam oððe byrðen.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 3718 & asse..hafeþþ mikell afell. To berenn upp well mikell sæm.
c1250 Owl & Night. 775 An hors is strengur þan a mon Ac..berþ on rugge grete semes.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2373 And .x. asses wið semes fest.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1368 Ðor he leide hise semes [of camels] dun.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 2554 Sum seluer for our semes in þe cite to gete.
1860 Eng. & Foreign Mining Gloss. (new ed.) (Cornwall Terms) Seam, a horse-load.
b. The amount of a horse-load; often identified with a definite quantity, varying according to the commodity and locality.The ‘seam’ of glass is said to be 120 lbs. (in the 14th cent. it was 100 lbs.); of grain, 8 bushels; of sand, 6–8 pecks; of apples, 9 pecks.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > unit or denomination of weight > load as unit of weight > a horse-load
seam1318
horseloadc1350
1318 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1899) II. 373 Item de vitro j seme et di., prec. 10s.
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xxix. 89 Þe sem of glas contenez of xx ston, ant eueri ston of v pond.
1339–40 in F. R. Chapman Sacrist Rolls Ely (1907) II. 90 In j sem ferri empt...xxiijs.
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. iv. 38 For, wot god, þei wolde do more for a dozeine chickenes..or for a seem of otes.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 65/2 Ceme, or quarter of corne, quarterium.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 452/1 Seem.
1459 in E. Hobhouse Church-wardens' Accts. (1890) 100 xxx zeme of bordys, xijd the zeme, and iij zeme of plangys xijd the zeme.
1531–2 in J. Raine Durham Househ. Bk. (1844) 113 Pro cariago j seayme salmonum, 10d.
1536 Accts. St. John's Hosp., Canterbury (Canterbury Cathedral Archives: CCA-U13/4) Payd for iij seymis of lyme to ye chymney.
1545 in T. Wright Churchwardens' Accts. Ludlow (1869) 23 Item, for a sheme of wood at the makynge of the pascalle..ij d.
1675 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 10 294 [Cornwall.] These useful Sands..are fetched..on Horse-back; one Horse carrying about 13 or 14 gallons... Each seime (or hors-load) with the carriage comes to about 8d or 9d.
1679 T. Blount Fragmenta Antiquitatis 52 A Seam or Horseload of Oats, which in some places is accounted Eight Bushels, in others perhaps more properly, but four.
a1690 S. Jeake Λογιστικηλογία (1696) 80 Glass, by the same Ordinance containeth 1 Seam, 24 Stones, 1 Stone 5 Pounds.
1705 London Gaz. No. 4108/3 The Cargo..containing 751 Seams of Barilla.
1813 T. Rudge Gen. View Agric. Glouc. 224 From ten to eleven ‘seam’, of nine pecks each, of juicy fruit, are generally sufficient for a hogshead of 100 gallons wine measure [of cider].
1887 W. D. Parish & W. F. Shaw Dict. Kentish Dial. (at cited word) A sack of eight bushels is now called a seam, because that quantity forms a horse-load.
c. Phrase. †sack and seam: pack-horse traffic.
ΚΠ
1631 in Quarter Sessions Rec. (N. Riding Rec. Soc.) (1885) III. ii. 312 [Two yeomen presented for stopping up the King's highway for] sacke and seame.
1829 J. T. Brockett Gloss. North Country Words (new ed.) Sack-and-seam-road, a horse road—properly a pack-horse road over moors.
2. A cart-load; esp. a definite amount of 3 cwt. (of hay or manure) or 2 cwt. of straw. western dialect.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measurement by weighing > [noun] > unit or denomination of weight > load as unit of weight > a cart-load
seam1726
1726 Brice's Weekly Jrnl. 5 Aug. 4 Several paved Courts, wherein are made a Thousand Seams of Dung every Year.
1856 J. C. Morton Cycl. Agric. (new ed.) II. (Gloss.) 1126/2 Seam (Devons.), of dung, 3 cwts.
1880 T. Q. Couch E. Cornwall Words in M. A. Courtney & T. Q. Couch Gloss. Words Cornwall 100 Seam, or Zeam, a load of hay, manure, &c. It means with us no definite quantity, but a cart-load, waggon load, &c.
1888 ‘Q’ Astonishing Hist. Troy Town xi I wants you to..go to beach for ore-weed..an' carry so many seams as you can.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
seamn.3
/siːm/, U.S. /sim/ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > greasy or fatty material > [noun] > derived from animals
smearc725
smolta1000
seamc1200
greasec1290
fat1393
creesha1400
brawn1535
axunge?1541
axungiety1599
axungiousness1599
c1200 Eadwine's Canterb. Ps. lxii. 6 Swæ swa mid seime & mid fetnesse ȝefelled beoð sawul min.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 301 Ge [read Ȝe] ne schulen eoten flesch ne saim bute imuche secnesse.
c1400 (?c1380) Patience l. 275 Þer [sc. in the whale's belly] in saym & in sorȝe þat sauoured as helle, þer was bylded his bour.
1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 43 He coryeth his hydes with sayme of heryngs.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid vii. xi. 61 And sum polyst scharp speyr heydis of steyll, To mak thaim brycht wyth fat cresche or same.
?1541 R. Copland Guy de Chauliac's Questyonary Cyrurgyens ii. sig. Hiiijv Mezentereon..is couered..with glandynous grease, and is commonly called seame.
1595 Balliol Coll. Acc. (MS) Item, for sem for the plumpe..and to Owen for mending of it, xviiid.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida ii. iii. 183 Shall the proud Lord That basts his arrogance with his owne seame... Shall he be worshipt. View more context for this quotation
1613 J. May Declar. Estate of Clothing v. 27 They will not scoure the same cloth cleane, but leaue a bad substance of oyle and seame in it.
1634 T. Johnson tr. A. Paré Chirurg. Wks. iii. vii. 91 And there is another kind of fat, which is called Sevum, seame [L. sepum],..that is much dryer.
1651 J. Cleveland Poems (Wing C4684) 1 A person of so rare a frame, Her bodie might be lin'd with' same.
1691 J. Ray Coll. Eng. Words 131 Saime, which we pronounce sometimes Seame. It signifies not only Goose-grease, but in general any kind of Grease or Sewet or Oil, wherewith out Clothiers anoint..their Wool.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 426 Part scour the rusty Sheilds with Seam.
2. Hogs' lard.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > materials > derived or manufactured material > greasy or fatty material > [noun] > derived from animals > from pig
swine greasea1400
lardc1420
swine seamc1440
hog's grease1525
seam1530
hog's lard1601
mort1610
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 269/1 Seme for to frye with, seyn de povrceau.
1558 W. Ward tr. G. Ruscelli Secretes Alexis of Piemount (1568) 40 Take..halfe an unce of..Hogges grease or seyme.
1606 in J. Barmby Churchwardens' Accts. Pittington (1888) 287 For a pound of swine's seame to the belles, iiij d.
1788 W. Marshall Provincialisms E. Yorks. in Rural Econ. Yorks. II. 349 Saim, hogs-lard.
1894 W. D. Latto Tammas Bodkin: Swatches o' Hodden-Grey ix. 86 The ancient dames were..discussin' the efficacy o' hartshorn an' swine's seam, as a cure for the rheumatics.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
seamn.4
/siːm/, U.S. /sim/, Scottish English /sim/ Scottish and northern.
A kind of nail or rivet for fastening the overlapping edges of a clinker-built boat, the end of the nail being clinched on a rove (rove n.1). Also seam-nail ( Northumb. Gloss., 1894).Usually associated with rove, its counterpart.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > nail > other nails
scotsem nail1273
scotnail1293
foot nail1406
seam1406
sharpling1415
grope1425
cannel-nail1566
boss-nail1697
common nail1698
cut nail1795
1406 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 606 Item in exp. Ric'i Couhird..pro seme et Ruse, 2s.
c1425 Noah's Ark in N. Davis Non-Cycle Plays & Fragm. (1970) 19 Bid him go make a ship... All things I him fulfill, Pitch, tar, seam and rowe.
1474–5 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 645 Cum seme, rove, clavis ferr. et lign., pice, et bitumine [for repairing a ferry-boat].
1494 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 253 Item, for thre stane and tua pund of seyme and rufe to the cokbate.
1494 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 254 Seme and ruyf.
1892 G. Stewart Shetland Fireside Tales (ed. 2) 70 Dey wir biggit wi' timmer pins, bit efter dey cam hame dey were clinkit wi' seam an' ruove.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† seamv.1
Obsolete.
transitive. To put a burden on, load, weigh down; also intransitive, to weigh heavily.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > transport > [verb (transitive)] > load
seamc950
ladeOE
fethre?c1225
charge1297
lastc1400
load?1504
laden1514
loaden1568
burden1570
endorse1671
freight1829
sling load1933
the world > matter > properties of materials > weight or relative heaviness > have weight [verb (intransitive)] > be or become heavy
heavyc897
seamc950
c950 Lindisf. Gosp. Luke xi. 46 Ge semað menn mið seamum, ðaðe gebeara ne magon.
c1000 Ælfric Genesis (Gr.) xliv. 13 And hig..symdon hyra assan and cyrdon eft to þære birig.
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 93 Ðe asse þe ure helende uppe set ben þo forsinegede..and sinne hem is loð to leten..for hem þincheð þat godes hese heuieliche semeð.
c1315 Shoreham Poems 82 Þo þat me oppone hys swete body þe heuye crouche semde.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1365 Ten kameles semeð [Perh. read semed] forð he nam.
c1450 Mirk's Festial 211 A man þat was..takyn wyt enmyes,..and was semot wyth yerns also mony as he myȝt bere.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
seamv.2
/siːm/, U.S. /sim/ 1. absolute.1905 M. Barnes-Grundy Vacillations Hazel xix I was seaming with black cotton.† b. To furnish or ornament with an inserted seam; also, of a material, to serve as a seam for.
a. transitive. To sew the seam or seams of; to fasten or join on, together, up with a seam or seams.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > sewing or ornamenting textile fabric > sew or ornament textile fabric [verb (transitive)] > sew > sew together > make or fasten by seam
sew1399
seam1582
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis iv. 69 Theare too watrye Iuno, the chaplayne, Seams vp thee bedmatch.
1600 T. Dekker Shomakers Holiday sig. B4v Here take this paire of shooes cut out by Hodge, Sticht by my fellow Firke, seam'd by my selfe.
1794 D. Steel Elements & Pract. Rigging & Seamanship I. 93 All linings are seamed on.
1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles I. xviii. 228 Some made the gloves; that is, seamed the fingers together and put in the thumbs.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > tailor or make clothes [verb (transitive)] > other
fur13..
buttonc1380
lashc1440
pointa1470
set1530
tuft1535
vent1547
ruff1548
spangle1548
string1548
superbody1552
to pull out1553
quilt1555
flute1578
seam1590
seed1604
overtrim1622
ruffle1625
tag1627
furbelow1701
tuck1709
flounce1711
pipe1841
skirt1848
ruche1855
pouch1897
panel1901
stag1902
create1908
pin-fit1926
ease1932
pre-board1940
post-board1963
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > ornamental textiles > ornamental trimmings > [verb (transitive)] > other
seam1590
valance1857
1590 R. Greene Mourning Garment 10 His coat was greene, With weltes of white seamde betweene.
1604 Meeting of Gallants sig. B2v There was not so much Veluet stirring, as would haue..seamde a Lieftenants Buffe-doublet.
a1625 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Four Plays in One in Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Ffffffff3v/1 She shew'd me gowns and head-tires, imbroider'd wastcoats, smocks seam'd thorow with cut-works.
1740 W. Somervile Hobbinol i. 218 This Pair of Gloves, by curious Virgin Hands Embroider'd, seam'd with Silk, and fring'd with Gold.
c. intransitive. To sew. dialect.
ΚΠ
1833 H. Martineau Berkeley the Banker i. v. 104 The widow immediately went on seaming.
1886 R. Holland Gloss. Words County of Chester Seam, to sew a seam.
d. Knitting. transitive and intransitive. To form a seam-stitch; to make a seam or seam-stitch in (a piece of knitting).
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > manufacture textile fabric or that which consists of > manufacture of textile fabric > manufacture textile fabric [verb (intransitive)] > knit > specific stitches
purl1825
seam1842
knitc1890
1842 F. Lambert Hand-bk. Needlework xvii. 303 To seam, to knit a stitch with the cotton before the needle.
1886 E. L. Bynner Agnes Surriage xiii. 142 She seamed and narrowed another entire round.
2. transitive. To mark (a surface) with lines or indentations; to furrow.
a. Said of a river, chasm, line of railway, etc. as marking the face of the earth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > shape > unevenness > condition or fact of receding > form a recess in [verb (transitive)] > form (a groove) > make grooves in
gutter1387
groop1412
channel?1440
chamfer1565
flute1578
plough1594
seam1596
entrench1607
furrow1609
trench1624
groove1686
striate1709
quirk1797
stripe1842
engroove1880
1596 E. Spenser View State Ireland in Wks. (Globe) 616/2 And sure it is yet a most beautifull and sweet countrey..seamed throughout with many goodly rivers.
1796 R. Kirwan Elements Mineral. (ed. 2) II. 242 The prisms [of Rock Crystal] are generally seamed perpendicularly to their axis.
1815 W. Scott Lord of Isles iii. xvi. 102 The griesly gulphs and slaty rifts, Which seam its shiver'd head.
1854 O. W. Holmes New Eden 2 Scarce could the parting ocean close, Seamed by the Mayflower's cleaving bow, When [etc.].
1863 A. W. Kinglake Invasion of Crimea I. i. 1 The little rivers which seamed the ground.
1878 J. D. Hooker & J. Ball Jrnl. Tour Marocco viii. 179 The great mountain chain that rose steeply before us, seamed with snow that..lay in hollows..forming long vertical streaks.
1878 M. Maccoll 3 Years Eastern Q. (ed. 3) x. 241 Plains seamed by railways.
b. Said of a scar, wound, etc.; also of care or the passions as marking the face.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > skin > textures or states of skin > [verb (transitive)] > wrinkle
frounce1390
shrinka1398
rivel1543
irrugate1566
wrinkle1566
plough1590
wrinklec1590
furrow1597
purse1598
ruge1615
trench1624
lirkc1686
seam1695
line1819
wrink1821
engrain1862
1695 R. Blackmore Prince Arthur v. 131 Scars of Honour seam'd his manly Face.
1725 E. Fenton in A. Pope et al. tr. Homer Odyssey I. iv. 335 Seam'd o'er with wounds, which his own sabre gave.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. i. viii. 46 It would be much better for them, that their Faces had been seamed with the Small-Pox. View more context for this quotation
1825 W. Scott Betrothed xi, in Tales Crusaders II. 212 A veteran whose face had been seamed with many a scar.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Elaine in Idylls of King 160 Seam'd with an ancient swordcut on the cheek.
1864 Ld. Tennyson Aylmer's Field in Enoch Arden, etc. 93 Her..meagre face Seam'd with the shallow cares of fifty years.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend II. iii. x. 96 His face..seamed with jealousy and anger.
c. intransitive. To become fissured; to crack.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > break [verb (intransitive)] > crack, split, or cleave
chinea700
to-chinec725
cleavea1225
to-cleavec1275
rivec1330
to-slentc1380
to-sundera1393
cracka1400
rifta1400
chapc1420
crevec1450
break1486
slave?1523
chink1552
chop1576
coame1577
cone1584
slat1607
cleft1610
splita1625
checka1642
chicka1642
flaw1648
shale1712
vent1721
spalt1731
star1842
seam1880
tetter1911
1880 L. Wallace Ben-Hur 400 Their lips began to parch and seam.
3. transitive. To join (sheets of lead or metal) by means of a seam (see seam n.1 6).
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > work with metal [verb (transitive)] > weld > with specific technique
seam1703
jump1864
tack1887
spot weld1908
seam-weld1917
tack weld1919
lead-burn1937
projection-weld1950
micro-weld1965
1703 R. Neve City & Countrey Purchaser 194 The Sheets of Lead..which are seam'd in the Platform.
1712 J. James tr. A.-J. Dézallier d'Argenville Theory & Pract. Gardening 211 The Sheets of Lead..should be seamed one to another with Solder.
1795 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 85 366 Seaming bars, setting tools, and claw-screws,..were made..to confine and stretch the parts as they were seamed together.
4. To furnish with a seam or thin stratum (of ore).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > minerals > mineral deposits > [verb (transitive)] > furnish with seam or pockets
pocket1896
seam1899
1899 E. J. Chapman Drama Two Lives 6 The rocky core Of those lone mountains, rent and old, Is seam'd and vein'd with glittering ore.
5. Cricket.
a. intransitive. Of a pitch: to aid a seam bowler; of a ball: to swing during delivery on account of the seam.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (intransitive)] > motion of ball
to make haste?a1475
twist?1801
cut1816
shoot1816
curl1833
hang1838
work1838
break1847
spin1851
turn1851
bump1856
bite1867
pop1871
swerve1894
to kick up1895
nip1899
swing1900
google1907
move1938
seam1960
to play (hit, etc.) across the line1961
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > cricket ground > [verb (intransitive)] > effect of pitch on play
kick1866
play1866
seam1960
1960 E. W. Swanton W. Indies Revisited 118 According to the players, the pitch was still ‘seaming’ a bit.
1974 Reading Evening Post 3 Sept. 14/7 Both opening bowlers made the ball seam considerably and Fletcher was next to go.
1976 Liverpool Echo 23 Nov. 18/7 The pitches out there have been known to seam.
b. transitive. Of a bowler: to cause (a ball) to seam.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > bowling > bowl [verb (transitive)] > bowl in specific manner
twist1816
overthrow1833
to bowl over the wicket1851
overpitch1851
bump1869
york1882
to break a ball1884
flog1884
to bowl round (or formerly outside) the wicket1887
turn1898
flick1902
curl1904
spin1904
volley1909
flight1912
to give (a ball) air1920
tweak1935
move1938
overspin1940
swing1948
bounce1960
cut1960
seam1963
dolly1985
1963 T. E. Bailey Improve your Cricket ii. 81 At medium pace it is possible to seam the ball..and naturally to vary pace, length and angle of flight.
1976 J. Snow Cricket Rebel 21 Thomson..and..Pountain..taking seven of the first eight wickets between them on a damp wicket which helped them seam the ball about.
6. In the manufacture of shoddy: to remove the seams from old garments. Hence (rag) seamer as an occupational term.
ΚΠ
1904 in Eng. Dial. Dict.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
† seamv.3
Obsolete.
transitive. To dress (wool) with grease.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile manufacture > treating or processing textile materials > treating or processing wool > treat or process wool [verb (transitive)] > other
seam1511
burl1650
pluck1695
trend1777
plank1839
carbonize1893
1511–12 Act 3 Hen. VIII c. 6 §1 Not excedyng in weight after the rate of xij pounde Wolle seymed above oon quarter of a pound for the waste.
1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Brit. Libr. copy) sig. C2 Barrelling vp the droppings of her nose, in steed of oyle to sayme wooll withall.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1911; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
<
n.1c1000
n.2c950
n.3c1200n.41406
v.1c950v.21582v.31511- castle-ditch
- castle-garth
- castle-gate
- castle-gilliflower
- castle-guard
- castle-guardian
- castle-hunter
- castle-like
- castle-monger
- castle-nut
- castle-soap
- castle-spectre
- castle-stead
- castle-top
- castle-town
- castle-wall
- castle-wick
- castle-work
- castlebattlement
- castleboon
- castleborn
- castlebote
- castlebuilder
- castlebuilding
- castlebuilt