Note: these 'words' (valid or invalid) are all the permutations of the word ham. These words are obtained by scrambling the letters in ham.
Definitions and meaning of ham
ham
Etymology 1
From Middle Englishhamme, from Old Englishhamm(“inner or hind part of the knee, ham”), from Proto-Germanic*hamō, *hammō, *hanmō, from Proto-Indo-European*kónh₂m(“leg”). Cognate with Dutchham(“ham”), dialectal GermanHamme(“hind part of the knee, ham”), dialectal Swedishham(“the hind part of the knee”), Icelandichöm(“the ham or haunch of a horse”), Old Irishcnáim(“bone”), Ancient Greekκνήμη(knḗmē, “shinbone”). Compare gammon.
(Southern England, General Australian) IPA(key): /ˈhæːm/
Rhymes: -æm
Noun
ham (countable and uncountable, pluralhams)
(anatomy) The region back of the knee joint; the popliteal space; the hock.
(countable) A thigh and buttock of an animal slaughtered for meat.
(uncountable) Meat from the thigh of a hog cured for food.
The back of the thigh.
(Internet, informal, uncommon) Electronic mail that is wanted; mail that is not spam or junk mail.
Antonym:spam
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 2
From Old Englishhām.
Noun
ham (uncountable)
Obsolete form of home.
Usage notes
Persists in many old place names, such as Buckingham.
References
“ham” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2021.
Etymology 3
Of uncertain origin, though it is generally agreed upon that it first appeared in print around the 1880s. At least four theories persist:
It came naturally from the word amateur. Deemed likely by Hendrickson (1997), but then the question would be why it took so long to pop up. He rejects the folk etymology of Cockney slang hamateur because it originated in American English.
From the play Hamlet, where the title character was often played poorly and/or in an exaggerated manner. Also deemed likely by Hendrickson, though he raises the issue that the term would have likely been around earlier if this were case.
From the minstrel's practice of using ham fat to remove heavy black makeup used during performances.
Shortened from hamfatter(“inferior actor”), said to derive from the 1863 minstrel show song The Ham-fat Man. William and Mary Morris (1988) argue that it's not known whether the song inspired the term or the term inspired the song, but that they believe the latter is the case.
Noun
ham (pluralhams)
(acting) An overacting or amateurish performer; an actor with an especially showy or exaggerated style.
Synonyms:hambone, hamfatter, overactor, tear-cat
(radio) An amateur radio operator.
Synonym:radio amateur
Derived terms
ham-fisted
ham radio
Translations
Verb
ham (third-person singular simple presenthams, present participlehamming, simple past and past participlehammed)
(acting) To overact; to act with exaggerated emotions.
Synonyms
chew the scenery, ham it up, melodramatize, overact, tear a cat
References
Anagrams
HMA, MHA, Mah, mAh, mah
Afrikaans
Etymology
From Dutchham, from Middle Dutchhamme, from Old Dutch [Term?], from Proto-Germanic*hammō, from Proto-Indo-European*kónh₂m(“leg”).
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ɦam/
Hyphenation: ham
Noun
ham (pluralhamme, diminutivehammetjie)
ham(cured pork from the thigh of a swine)
Caribbean Hindustani
Etymology
Compare Hindiहम(ham, “we”).
Pronoun
ham
I
References
Beknopt Nederland-Sarnami Woordenboek met Sarnami Hindoestani-Nederlanse Woordenlijst[1] (in Dutch), Paramaribo: Instituut voor Taalwetenschap, 2002
Catalan
Etymology
From Latinhamus.
Pronunciation
(Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA(key): /ˈam/
Noun
hamm (pluralhams)
fishhook
Cebuano
Etymology
From Englishham, from Middle Englishhamme, from Old Englishhamm(“inner or hind part of the knee, ham”), from Proto-Germanic*hamō, *hammō, *hanmō, from Proto-Indo-European*kónh₂m(“leg”).
Noun
ham
ham; meat from the thigh of a hog cured for food
Chamorro
Etymology
From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian*kami, from Proto-Austronesian*kami. Cognates include Indonesiankami and Tagalogkami.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /hæm/
Pronoun
ham
we, us (exclusive)
Usage notes
ham is used either as a subject of an intransitive verb or as an object of a transitive verb, while in is used as a subject of a transitive verb.
In transitive clauses with an indefinite object, ham can be used as a subject.
See also
References
Donald M. Topping (1973) Chamorro Reference Grammar[2], Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Václav Blažek, A Lexicostatistical comparison of Omotic languages, in In Hot Pursuit of Language in Prehistory: Essays in the four fields of anthropology, page 122
Irish
Pronunciation
IPA(key): [haːmˠ], [hamˠ]
Noun
hamm
h-prothesized form of am
Middle English
Etymology 1
Pronoun
ham
Alternative form of hem(“them”)
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /hɑːm/
Noun
ham (pluralhamen or hames)
(Early Middle English, Northern)Alternative form of hom(“home”)
Etymology 3
Noun
ham (pluralhames)
Alternative form of hamme(“back of the knee”)
Etymology 4
Noun
ham (pluralhames)
Alternative form of hamme(“pasture”)
Middle French
Noun
hamm (pluralhams)
village
Montol
Etymology
Related to Mwaghavulam(“water”).
Noun
hàm
water
References
Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201:
[…] we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" [GT]:
From Proto-West Germanic*haim. Cognates include Old Englishhām and Old Saxonhēm.
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ˈhaːm/
Noun
hāmm
home
Descendants
North Frisian: hamm
Saterland Frisian: Heem
West Frisian: hiem
References
Bremmer, Rolf H. (2009) An Introduction to Old Frisian: History, Grammar, Reader, Glossary, Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 28
Rohingya
Noun
ham
work
Derived terms
hammwa
kuham
Romanian
Pronunciation
IPA(key): /ham/
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Hungarianhám.
Noun
hamn (pluralhamuri)
harness
Derived terms
înhăma
Etymology 2
Onomatopoeic.
Interjection
ham!
woof, the sound a barking dog makes
See also
hau
Ron
Etymology
Related to Gerkaram(“water”).
Noun
ham
(most dialects, including Mangar, Bokkos, Daffo-Butura, Shagawu) water
Synonyms
àyîn (Monguna)
References
Roger Blench, Ron Comparative Wordlist
Takács, Gábor (2007) Etymological Dictionary of Egyptian, volume 3, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 201:
[…] we should carefully distinguish the following Ch. roots from AA *m-ˀ "water" [GT]: