em

plural ems

1. The name of the Latin script letter M/m.

   It said, in a whispering, buzzing voice, "Gee-you-ess-ess-ay-dash-em-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-em-eye-en-gee-oh-dash-pee-eye-pee-dash-pee-ee-ar-ar-wye-dash-pee-eye-en-gee-oh."

   2004, Will Rogers, The Stonking Steps, page 170

2. mediaA unit of measurement equal to the height of the type in use.

   Insert here a one-em dash or long dash.

   1 more example

   That the price of work, paid for by letters be advanced from fourpence to fourpence halfpenny per thousand, including English and brevier; and, in leaded matter, the ems and ens at the beginnings and ends of the lines not to be reckoned in the width.

   1808, C[aleb] Stower, “An Account of the Different Advances in Journeymen’s Wages, from the Year 1785 to 1805, with the Present Regulations and Scale of Prices”, in The Compositor’s and Pressman’s Guide to the Art of Printing; […], London: […] [T]he Editor, […] for B[enjamin] Crosby and Co. […], →OCLC, page 419

   Synonyms: quad, em quad, mutton, mut

3. computingA relative unit of sizing defined in terms of the font size.

1. alternativeAlternative form of 'em.

reflexive emself · adjective possessive eir · possessive pronoun without noun eirs

1. gender neutralnonstandardobjectiveraresingularthird personA gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, the objective case of ey or e, equivalent to the singular them and coordinate with him and her.

   If the author uses such notation, it should be up to Em to indicate Eir intentions clearly, but there’s no harm checking first.

   1986 April 1, Michael Spivak, The Joy of TeX: A Gourmet Guide to Typesetting with the AMS-TeX macro package, Providence: American Mathematical Society, →ISBN, →LCCN, LCC Z253.4.T47 S673 1986, page 68

   4 more examples

   I may become quite intimate with someone, spend hours with em every night, and yet not have the slightest idea what eir voice sounds like, or what eir RL body looks, feels, and smells like.

   1997, Steven Shaviro, Doom Patrols : A Theoretical Fiction About Postmodernism, London: Serpent's Tail, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 138

   E invites em to consider how ey represent emselves^([sic]), and in so doing, e focuses eir attention on the ethics that make human relations possible.

   2000, Jane Love, “Ethics, Plugged and Unplugged: The Pegagogy of Disorderly Conduct”, in James A. Inman, Donna N. Sewell, editors, Taking flight with OWLs: Examining Electronic Writing Center Work, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, LCC PE1414.T24 1999, page 193

   And ultimately: I think my readers are mature enough that knowing eir assigned gender is not going to give them an “excuse” to misgender em.

   2011 March 15, RJ Edwards, “89: New Friend”, in Riot Nrrd, archived from the original on 30 May 2013

   “You idiot girl! Are you childsick?” She grabbed Asu’s wrist; Asu made no effort to twist away. “Sand and soil, tell me you’re not pregnant. Is it that—what’s eir name? Aeran? Have you lain with em? Tell me!”

   2023, Aimee Ogden, “A Half-Remembered World”, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, vol. 145, no. 1-2, whole no. 768 (July/August 2023), pages 146-202

1. IrelandScotlanda form of hesitant speech, or an expression of uncertainty

   She was abused by, em... David, I think. That was his name, he's a real em... what's the word, narcissist. You should really stay away from him.

   Synonyms: um, umm, erm, eh, uh

plural ems

1. The name of the letter м/М in Cyrillic alphabets.

1. A diminutive of the female given names Emily, Emma, and Emmeline.

   And oh, Aunt Em! I'm so glad to be at home again!

   1900 May 17, L[yman] Frank Baum, chapter 24, in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Chicago, Ill.; New York, N.Y.: Geo[rge] M[elvin] Hill Co., →OCLC

   1 more example

   Mind you, he never calls me anything back. Isn't that the way of it? What do men call their wives. 'Em...' Like every woman in the planet was christened Emily. 'Em...is that shirt clean?'

   2008, Anne Enright, Yesterday's Weather, Vintage, published 2009, →ISBN, page 4

2. abbreviationclippingClipping of Eminem.

plural Ems

1. Alternative letter-case form of em.

plural EMs

1. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablemedicineInitialism of emergency medicine.
2. abbreviationcountablesciencesAbbreviation of electron microscope.
3. abbreviationuncountablesciencesAbbreviation of electron microscopy.
4. abbreviationinitialismuncountableInitialism of electromagnetism.
5. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablecriminal justiceInitialism of electronic monitoring.
6. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablebusinessInitialism of emerging market.
7. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablegovernmentInitialism of enlisted man.
8. abbreviationcountableinitialismbiologyInitialism of effective microorganism.
9. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountablebusinessInitialism of energy management.
10. abbreviationcountableinitialismuncountableeducationInitialism of English medium.

1. abbreviationnot comparableAbbreviation of electromagnetic.

   Secondary drone got EM spectrum on the kill.

   1992, Vernor Vinge, A Fire Upon the Deep, New York: Tor, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 315

   1 more example

   Commander, I can see most of it now. Readings are all over the EM spectrum.

   2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Tsavo Highway