Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

clem

/klɛm/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.98 in modern English

Syllables: clem
IPA: /klɛm/

8

Scrabble Score

4

Letters

1

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To be hungry; starve.

British usage; Intransitive verb; Transitive verb

noun

A brick or stone.

Slang

noun

One stone (unit of mass).

Slang

noun

Slang

verb

Alternative form of clam (“to adhere”).

name

A unisex given name.

name

A unisex given name.

Example Sentences

""[…] Here he's back home again, and without work, and without a penny, and thou knows t' little one and I were pretty well clemmed to death when thou got us a bit o' bread and meat last night. We were that!""
"Who are half clemmed from year’s end to year’s end, and see no close to it, no hope, no finish but the pauper’s deals!"

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English *clemmen, *clammen, from Old English clemman, clæmman (“to press, surround”), from Proto-West Germanic *klammjan (“to squeeze”). Cognate with Dutch klemmen (“to jam, pinch, stick”), German klemmen (“to jam, clamp; to be stuck, stick [to a surface]”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: *clemmen, clemman, *klammjan, clām, *klaim

Usage

Inflected Forms

clems (present, singular) clemming (participle, present) clemmed (participle, past) clemmed (past) clam (alternative) clems (plural)

Synonyms

clemmy

Rhymes With

them pm em stem gm fm gem atm condemn rpm chem rem

Questions

How do you pronounce clem?: The recorded pronunciation is /klɛm/.
What does clem mean?: To be hungry; starve.
Where does clem come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce clem

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “clem”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/klɛm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “clem”.
Repeat and practice — Say “clem” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.