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ham

noun
/ˈhæm//hæm/

Etymology

Uncertain, 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.

  1. derived from hām

Definitions

  1. The region back of the knee joint

    The region back of the knee joint; the popliteal space; the hock.

  2. A thigh and/or buttock of a hog slaughtered for meat

    A thigh and/or buttock of a hog slaughtered for meat; (occasionally) the corresponding cut from some other animal.

    • "I'll have you so your hams will stand out like horse's shanks!" de declared.

  3. Meat from the thigh and/or buttock of a hog cured for food.

    • a little piece of ham for the cat
    • She put some ham in the beans and cut up some sweet potatoes to boil.
  4. ›+ 18 more definitions

    1. The back of the thigh of humans or certain other animals.

    2. Electronic mail that is wanted

      Electronic mail that is wanted; email that is not spam or junk mail.

    3. Obsolete form of home.

    4. An overacting or amateurish performer

      An overacting or amateurish performer; an actor with an especially showy or exaggerated style.

    5. An amateur radio operator.

    6. To overact

      To overact; to act with exaggerated emotions.

      • Near-synonym: camp it up

    7. A surname.

    8. A suburb and ward in Plymouth, Devon, England (OS grid ref SX4657).

    9. A small village in Ham and Stone parish, Stroud district, Gloucestershire, England (OS…

      A small village in Ham and Stone parish, Stroud district, Gloucestershire, England (OS grid ref ST6898).

    10. A suburban area in the borough of Richmond upon Thames and borough of Kingston upon…

      A suburban area in the borough of Richmond upon Thames and borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, England (OS grid ref TQ1771).

    11. Two districts (East Ham and West Ham) in borough of Newham, Greater London.

    12. A hamlet in Northbourne parish, Dover district, Kent, England (OS grid ref TR3254).

    13. A small village and civil parish in eastern Wiltshire, England, south of Hungerford, West…

      A small village and civil parish in eastern Wiltshire, England, south of Hungerford, West Berkshire (OS grid ref SU3363).

    14. A village in Caithness, Highland council area, Scotland (OS grid ref ND2373)

    15. A son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem.

    16. Initialism of his apostolic majesty, the title given to a number of historical kings of…

      Initialism of his apostolic majesty, the title given to a number of historical kings of Hungary.

    17. Initialism of Hold-And-Modify, a display mode of the Commodore Amiga computer, allowing…

      Initialism of Hold-And-Modify, a display mode of the Commodore Amiga computer, allowing for a large number of colours on screen.

    18. Initialism of hard as a motherfucker, extremely hard, extremely intensely, crazily.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for ham. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA