temse

T1E1M3S1E1
/tɛms//tɛmz/

verb

To sift.

OriginMiddle English temse ← Old English temsian →
Scrabble 7
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Meanings

verbtemse (third-person singular simple present temses, present participle temsing, simple past and past participle temsed)

present singular third person temses · participle present temsing · participle past temsed · past temsed · alternative tems · alternative tempse

  1. dialectalobsoleteTo sift.
nountemse (plural temses)

plural temses · alternative tems · alternative tempse

  1. UKdialectalobsoleteA sieve.

    Stone your apricots , coddle them , and rub them through a temse

    1777, Elizabeth Marshall, The Young Ladies' Guide in the Art of Cookery

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
sievestrainer

Origin

  1. Old Englishtemsian
  2. Middle Englishtemse“a sieve”
  3. Englishtemse

From Middle English temse (“a sieve”) and temsen (“to sieve”), both from Old English temsian, temesian (“to sieve; strain; sift”). Compare also French tamis, Dutch teems, North Frisian tems, Danish dialectal tems (“sieve”), German dialectal Zims (“sieve”). Compare also tamine. Doublet of tamis.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

meetssteemTesem
Cite this entry
APA

temse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temse

MLA

“temse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temse. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “temse,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temse.

Source: temse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.