sham

adj

/ʃæm/

Etymology

Probably a dialectal form of shame. Alternatively, sham is a term that is used to describe the bottom thick base of a glass, usually a wine or stem glass, where the stem meets the bulbous shape bowl. Glass manufacturers would increase the "sham" to deceive customers into thinking a glass holds more than it actually does. For example, a manufacturer would mold a 12oz glass with a larger "sham" in the base to reduce the volume of the glasses to fit 10-11oz of liquid. By increasing the bulge in the base, usually where the stem meets the glass, it is almost impossible to visually distinguish the difference. This gives the illusion the glass size is the same as any another 12oz glass, but the inside will hold a lesser volume. Later, bringing use to the term "you got shammed" when one party tries to hide something and/or get over on the other party using deceiving tactics.

derived from Cham
derived from شَام

Definitions

1
Intended to deceive
Intended to deceive; false.
- It was only a sham wedding: they didn't care much for one another, but wanted their parents to stop hassling them.
2
Counterfeit
Counterfeit; unreal.
- For the subject-cities, having secured a moderate form of government, and having no fear of being called to account for their proceedings, aimed at absolute freedom; they scorned the sham independence proffered to them by the Athenians.
3
A fake
A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.
- The time-share deal was a sham.
›+ 8 more definitionsshow fewer
1. 4
  Trickery, hoaxing.
  - A con-man must be skilled in the arts of sham and deceit.
  - Tarzan would have none of it, and so he hunted alone that none might discover the sham that he was practicing.
2. A false front, or removable ornamental covering.
3. A decorative cover for a pillow.
4. 7
  To deceive, cheat, lie.
  - they find themſelves Fool'd and Shamm'd (as we ſay) into a Conviction.
5. 8
  To obtrude by fraud or imposition.
  - But we muſt have a care all this while, not to […] Sham Fallacyes upon the World for Current Reaſon
6. To assume the manner and character of
  To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.
7. 10
  Clipping of champagne.
  - So I orders a bottle, as if for myself; and, ‘Ma’am, says I, ‘will you take a glass of Sham—just one?’
8. A surname.

The neighborhood

synonymmock
antonymgenuine
antonymsincere
antonymreal
neighborpillow sham

Derived

shamboo, shamburger, shamdemic, sham marriage, shammer, shammish, Uncle Sham, shamateur

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at sham. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

A definitional loop anchored at sham. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at sham

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

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