ham

ham
\ \ [OE] The etymological meaning of ham isbend’ – it comes from Germanic *kham- ‘be crooked’ – and up until the 16th century it denoted exclusively thepart of the leg at the back of the knee’ (a portion of the anatomy now without a word of its own in English). Hamstring [16] reflects this original meaning. From the mid-16th century, it gradually extended semantically toback of the thighand hencethighgenerally, and by the 17th century it was being used for thethigh of a slaughtered animal, especially a pig, preserved and used for food’. Ham in the senseperformer who overacts’, first recorded in the late 19th century, apparently comes from an earlier hamfatterbad actor’, which may have been inspired by the Negro minstrel songThe Ham-fat Man’.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • HAM — ist der Name folgender Personen: Ham, der zweite Sohns Noahs, siehe Ham (Bibel) Arthur Ham (20. Jahrhundert), kanadischer Tennisspieler Carter F. Ham (* 1952), US amerikanischer General Jack Ham (* 1942), US amerikanischer American Football… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

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  • HAM — (Heb. חָם), one of the three sons of Noah. Although he is always placed between Shem and Japheth (Gen. 5:32; 6:10, et al.), he appears to have been the youngest of the three (9:24). The Bible relates how Ham observed Noah drunk and naked in his… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Ham — Ham, es el nombre de varias localidades de la Unión Europea. Municipalidad de Ham, Bélgica. Ham (Somme) Ham (Reino Unido) Ham (Wiltshire) Le Ham (Mayenne) Le Ham (Manche) En Argentina Ham, en la provincia de Buenos Aires. Por las siglas HAM,… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Ham's — Restaurant is a North Carolina–Virginia based restaurant that offers A Good Time combined with great food. Started in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1935, Ham s has grown into a chain of 26 community restaurants. History The original Ham s… …   Wikipedia

  • Häm- — hämo . * * * häm , Häm : ↑ hämo , Hämo . * * * häm , Häm : ↑hämo , ↑Hämo . hä|mo , Hä|mo , (vor Vokalen:) häm , Häm [griech. haĩma = Blut]: <Best. von Zus. mit der Bed.:> Blut ( …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Ham — (h[a^]m), n. [AS. ham; akin to D. ham, dial. G. hamme, OHG. hamma. Perh. named from the bend at the ham, and akin to E. chamber. Cf. {Gammon} ham.] [1913 Webster] 1. (Anat.) The region back of the knee joint; the popliteal space; the hock. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Häm — [griech. haĩma = Blut], das; s; Syn.: Ferrohäm, Protohäm, Protoferrohäm: labile Koordinationsverb. aus ↑ Protoporphyrin u. einem Eisen(II) Ion, die das farbgebende u. katalytische Prinzip der ↑ Häm Proteine u. a. Häm Derivate darstellt. Ferrihäm …   Universal-Lexikon

  • ham — [ham] n. [ME hamme < OE hamm, akin to Ger dial. hamme < IE base * konemo , shin bone (> Gr knēmē): HAM senses 5 & 6 infl. by AM(ATEUR)] 1. the part of the leg behind the knee 2. a) the back of the thigh b) …   English World dictionary

  • ham´mi|ly — ham|my «HAM ee», adjective, mi|er, mi|est. Slang. acting like a ham; exaggerated; overacted: »When one of the dancers gave an especially hammy flourish, the crowd was delighted (New Yorker). –ham´mi|ly, adverb. –ham´mi|ness …   Useful english dictionary

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