em
/ˈɛm/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.57 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
2
Letters
1
Syllables
2
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The name of the Latin script letter M/m.
noun
A unit of measurement equal to the height of the type in use.
pron
Alternative form of 'em.
pron
A gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, the objective case of ey or e, equivalent to the singular them and coordinate with him and her.
intj
a form of hesitant speech, or an expression of uncertainty
name
A diminutive of the female given names Emily, Emma, and Emmeline.
Example Sentences
- "It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, "Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh.""
- "Insert here a one-em dash or long dash."
- "That the price of work, paid for by letters be advanced from fourpence to fourpence halfpenny per thousand, including English and brevier; and, in leaded matter, the ems and ens at the beginnings and ends of the lines not to be reckoned in the width."
- "If the author uses such notation, it should be up to Em to indicate Eir intentions clearly, but there’s no harm checking first."
- "I may become quite intimate with someone, spend hours with em every night, and yet not have the slightest idea what eir voice sounds like, or what eir RL body looks, feels, and smells like."
- "E invites em to consider how ey represent emselves^([sic]), and in so doing, e focuses eir attention on the ethics that make human relations possible."
Etymology
Attested since 1808. In typography, the em is named after the em quadrat (later called em quad), from m quadrat, a metal type used in letterpress typesetting, which is as wide as the point size of the font.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: эм, ем