Where does “em” come from?
em (English) comes from English them, from Middle English þem, from Old Norse þeim, from Proto-Germanic þaimaz, from Proto-Germanic sa, from Proto-Indo-European só — this; that.
em (English): The name of the Latin-script letter M; A unit of...
Definitions
- The name of the Latin-script letter M; A unit of...
Ancestry of “em”, step by step
em traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English them
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | them | Those ones; Him, her, or it; that one; Those |
| 2 | Middle English | þem | Third-person plural accusative pronoun: them;... |
| 3 | Old Norse | þeim | them, those |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þaimaz | — |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sa | that |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | só | this; that |
via Russian эм
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russian | эм | The Cyrillic letter М, м; The Roman letter M, m |