hem

CEFRC1

/hɛm/

noun · interjection

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    The finished edge of a piece of clothing or cloth.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    An utterance or sound of the voice like "hem", often indicative of hesitation or doubt, sometimes used to call attention.

Examples

  • I need you to take in the hem by about an inch.

  • The hem of his clothing caught a nail.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. To make the sound expressed by the word hem; to hesitate in speaking.

  2. The border of an article of clothing doubled back and stitched together to finish the edge and prevent it from fraying.

interjection

Extra meaning

  1. Used to fill in the gap of a pause with a vocalized sound.

More examples

In context

  • The tunic has a raw cut hem.

  • A small yard hemmed about by a tall hedge.

  • his morning hems

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

To make the dress fit her better, she decided to blank the bottom.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

A sound uttered in imitation of clearing the throat (onomatopoeia)