hem1

[hem] /hɛm/
verb (used with object), hemmed, hemming.
1.
to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form an edge or border on or around.
2.
to enclose or confine (usually followed by in, around, or about):
hemmed in by enemies.
noun
3.
an edge made by folding back the margin of cloth and sewing it down.
4.
the edge or border of a garment, drape, etc., especially at the bottom.
5.
the edge, border, or margin of anything.
6.
Architecture. the raised edge forming the volute of an Ionic capital.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English hem(m), Old English hem, probably akin to hamm enclosure; see home

hem2

[hem] /hɛm/
interjection
1.
(an utterance resembling a slight clearing of the throat, used to attract attention, express doubt, etc.)
noun
2.
the utterance or sound of “hem.”.
3.
a sound or pause of hesitation:
His sermon was full of hems and haws.
verb (used without object), hemmed, hemming.
4.
to utter the sound “hem.”.
5.
to hesitate in speaking.
Idioms
6.
hem and haw,
  1. to hesitate or falter:
    She hemmed and hawed a lot before she came to the point.
  2. to speak noncommittally; avoid giving a direct answer:
    He hems and haws and comes out on both sides of every question.
Origin
1520-30; imitative

hem-

1.
variant of hemo- before a vowel:
hemal.
Also, especially British, haem-.
Compare haemat-.
Examples from the web for hem
  • Trimmed at the collar with hunks of turquoise, it had rows of silver skulls at the hem.
  • We get satisfied investors with protection concepts fort hem and with adequate insurance solutions of our partners.
  • The yellow cotton skirt with the big patch pockets and the hand detail around the hem.
  • Because big shoulder pads have been banished from furs, the new coats have graceful shapes, flaring toward the hem.
  • Shape has replaced hem length as the signature of the resort season.
  • He was accused of being a dictator by critics around the world, particularly when he changed hem lengths and silhouettes.
British Dictionary definitions for hem

hem1

/hɛm/
noun
1.
an edge to a piece of cloth, made by folding the raw edge under and stitching it down
2.
short for hemline
verb (transitive) hems, hemming, hemmed
3.
to provide with a hem
4.
usually foll by in, around, or about. to enclose or confine
Word Origin
Old English hemm; related to Old Frisian hemme enclosed land

hem2

/hɛm/
noun, interjection
1.
a representation of the sound of clearing the throat, used to gain attention, express hesitation, etc
verb hems, hemming, hemmed
2.
(intransitive) to utter this sound
3.
hem and haw, hum and haw, to hesitate in speaking or in making a decision

hem-

combining form
1.
a US variant of haemo-
Word Origin and History for hem
n.

Old English hem "a border," especially of cloth or a garment, from Proto-Germanic *hamjam (cf. Old Norse hemja "to bridle, curb," Swedish hämma "to stop, restrain," Old Frisian hemma "to hinder," Middle Dutch, German hemmen "to hem in, stop, hinder"), from PIE *kem- "to compress." Apparently the same root yielded Old English hamm, common in place names (where it means "enclosure, land hemmed in by water or high ground, land in a river bend"). In Middle English, hem also was a symbol of pride or ostentation.

If þei wer þe first þat schuld puplysch þese grete myracles of her mayster, men myth sey of hem, as Crist ded of þe Pharisees, þat þei magnified her owne hemmys. [John Capgrave, "Life of Saint Gilbert of Sempringham," 1451]

interj.

late 15c., probably imitative of the sound of clearing the throat. Hem and haw first recorded 1786, from haw "hesitation" (1630s; see haw (v.)); hem and hawk attested from 1570s.

v.

late 14c., "to provide (something) with a border or fringe" (surname Hemmer attested from c.1300), from hem (n.). Related: Hemmed; hemming. The phrase hem in "shut in, confine," first recorded 1530s.

hem in Medicine

hem- pref.
Variant of hemo-.

hem in the Bible

of a garment, the fringe of a garment. The Jews attached much importance to these, because of the regulations in Num. 15:38, 39. These borders or fringes were in process of time enlarged so as to attract special notice (Matt. 23:5). The hem of Christ's garment touched (9:20; 14:36; Luke 8:44).