Where does “hem” come from?
Hem comes from Proto-Indo-European kem-, a root of uncertain meaning that developed through Old English hem into modern English hem.
hem (English): Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a...
Definitions
- Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a...
Ancestry of “hem”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | hem | Third-person plural accusative pronoun: them;... |
| 2 | Old English | hem | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hammjan | To press; pinch; To obstruct; restrict; restrain;... |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hamjaną | To press; pinch; To obstruct; restrict; restrain;... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kem- | to press together; to hinder, to hamper; to... |