em

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.
adjective
4.
Printing. having the area of an em quad or the length of an em dash.

Origin:
1860–65

00:10
Em is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

EM

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; Middle English hem, Old English heom, dative and accusative plural of he1

em-

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

em-

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

E.M.

1.
Earl Marshal.
2.
Engineer of Mines.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
em (ɛm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  mutton, Also called: mut the square of a body of any size of type, used as a unit of measurement
2.  pica em, Also called: pica a unit of measurement used in printing, equal to one sixth of an inch
 
[C19: from the name of the letter M]

em-
 
prefix
en- before b, m, and p, a variant of en-

'em (əm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
pron
an informal variant of them

'em (əm) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
pron
an informal variant of them

en- or em-1
 
prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives
1.  (from nouns)
 a.  put in or on: entomb; enthrone
 b.  go on or into: enplane
 c.  surround or cover with: enmesh
 d.  furnish with: empower
2.  (from adjectives and nouns) cause to be in a certain condition: enable; encourage; enrich; enslave
 
[via Old French from Latin in-in-²]
 
em- or em-1
 
prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives
 
[via Old French from Latin in-in-²]

en- or em-2
 
prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives
in; into; inside: endemic
 
[from Greek (often via Latin); compare in-1, in-²]
 
em- or em-2
 
prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives
 
[from Greek (often via Latin); compare in-1, in-²]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

EM abbr.
electron microscope

em- pref.
Variant of en-2.

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

em definition

[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.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

EM definition


End of Medium

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
EM
  1. electromagnetic

  2. electron microscope

  3. enlisted man

E.M.
Engineer of Mines
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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