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Em

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em

[em] noun, plural ems, adjective
–noun
1. the letter M, m.
2. Also called mut, mutton. Printing.
a. the square of any size of type used as the unit of measurement for matter printed in that type size.
b. (originally) the portion of a line of type occupied by the letter M in type of the same size.
3. em pica.
–adjective
4. Printing. having the area of an em quad or the length of an em dash.

Origin:
1860–65

EM

1. electromagnetic.
2. electromotive.
3. electronic mail.
4. electron microscope; electron microscopy.
5. end matched.
6. Engineer of Mines.
7. enlisted man; enlisted men.

Em

Symbol, Physical Chemistry.
emanation (def. 3).

'em

[uhm]
–pronoun Informal.
them: Put 'em down there.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME hem, OE heom, dat. and acc. pl. of he 1

em-

1
var. of en- 1 before b, p, and sometimes m: embalm.
Compare im- 1 .

em-

2
var. of en- 2 before b, m, p, ph: embolism, emphasis.

E.M.

1. Earl Marshal.
2. Engineer of Mines.

em pica

–noun Printing.
a unit of measurement equal to about one-sixth of an inch (4 mm).
Also called em.

en-

1
a prefix occurring originally in loanwords from French and productive in English on this model, forming verbs with the general sense “to cause (a person or thing) to be in” the place, condition, or state named by the stem; more specifically, “to confine in or place on” (enshrine; enthrone; entomb); “to cause to be in” (enslave; entrust; enrich; encourage; endear); “to restrict” in the manner named by the stem, typically with the additional sense “on all sides, completely” (enwind; encircle; enclose; entwine). This prefix is also attached to verbs in order to make them transitive, or to give them a transitive marker if they are already transitive (enkindle; enliven; enshield; enface).
Also, before labial consonants, em- 1 .
Compare be-, in- 2 .


Origin:
ME < OF < L in- in- 2

en-

2
a prefix meaning “within, in,” occurring in loanwords from Greek: energy; enthusiasm.
Also, before labial consonants, em- 2 .


Origin:
< Gk (often through L); c. in- 1 , in- 2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Em
em   (ěm)   
n.  
  1. The letter m.

  2. Printing

    1. The width of a square or nearly square piece of type, used as a unit of measure for matter set in that size of type.

    2. Such a measure for 12-point type; a pica.

EM  
abbr.  
  1. electromagnetic

  2. Engineer of Mines

  3. enlisted man

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
em [ɛm]

and emm
  1. n.
    an empty liquor bottle. (See also knock (so's) block off.) : Put your ems in the garbage, not on the floor.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

em- 
from Fr. assimilation of en- to following labial; also from L. ex-, assimilated to following -m-. Also a prefix used to form verbs from adjectives and nouns.

''em 
M.E., now taken as an abbreviation of them, but originally a form of hem, dative and accusative of the third person plural pronoun.

en- 
prefix meaning "cause to be, make" (endear); "put in or on" (encircle); from O.Fr. en-, from L. in- "in, into." Also used as an intensive (enclose). Spelling variants in O.Fr. brought over into M.E. account for parallels such as assure/insure/ensure. Many words beginning with en- in Mod.Eng. are transparent (enforce, etc.) and etymologies can be found in listings for their stems. Words listed here include those whose unprefixed form is not an obvious word in Eng. (encroach) or whose meaning has drifted significantly (engrain).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: EM
Function: abbreviation
1 electromagnetic
2 electron microscope; electron microscopy
3 emergency medicine
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

EM abbr.
electron microscope

em- pref.
Variant of en-2.

en- 2 or em-
pref.
In; into; within: enzootic.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Computing Dictionary

EM
End of Medium

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Abbreviations & Acronyms
EM
  1. electromagnetic

  2. electron microscope

  3. enlisted man

The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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