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hem in

 - 3 dictionary results

hem

1  [hem] verb, hemmed, hem⋅ming, noun
Use hem in in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.
2. to enclose or confine (usually fol. by in, around, or about): hemmed in by enemies.
–noun
3. an edge made by folding back the margin of cloth and sewing it down.
4. the edge or border of a garment, drape, etc., esp. at the bottom.
5. the edge, border, or margin of anything.
6. Architecture. the raised edge forming the volute of an Ionic capital.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME hem(m), OE hem, prob. akin to hamm enclosure; see home
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

hem  (n.)
O.E. hem "a border," from P.Gmc. *khamjanan (cf. O.N. hemja "to bridle, curb," O.Fris. hemma "to hinder," M.Du., Ger. hemmen "to hem in, stop, hinder"), from the same root that yielded hamper and O.E. hamm, common in place names (where it means "enclosure, land hemmed in by water or high ground, land in a river bend"). The phrase hem in "shut in, confine," first recorded 1538. Hem-line first attested 1923.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

hem in

see fence in.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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