▪ I. † eme Obs. exc. dial.
Forms: 1–3 éam, (2 eom), 2–5 em, (3 æem, æm, heam, he(e)m), 4–5 eem(e, 4–6 eme, Sc. eym(e, (5 emme, yem), 4–7 eam(e, 8 dial. eem, 9 Sc. eme, north. dial. eam.
[Com. WGer.: OE. éam = OFris. êm (MDu. oem, Du. oom), OHG. ôheim (MHG. ôheim, œheim, -hein, mod.Ger. oheim, ohm); if the word existed in OTeut. the type would be *auhaimo-z; presumed to be a compound or derivative of *awo-z = L. avus grandfather (of which the L. avunculus, uncle, is a diminutive). It is believed that the original sense of the WGer. word was ‘mother's brother’ (cf. L. avunculus); but in later use it is applied to a father's brother as well.]
An uncle; also dial. a friend, gossip.
| Beowulf 881 He swulces hwæt secᵹan wolde eam his nefan. c 1000 ælfric Gen. xxviii. 2 Nim þe wif of Labanes dohtrum þinis eames. 1154 O.E. Chron. an. 1137 He sculde ben alsuic alse þe eom wes. c 1205 Lay. 8142 Androgeus wes his hem. Ibid. 8832 Nu is min eam wel bi-ðoht. Ibid. 11174 Hire æem [c 1275 heam] Leonin wes in Rome. Ibid. 111464 His fader wes ælenen æm. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 1758 Ðus meðelike spac ðis em. c 1330 Arth. & Merl. 4583 Gif min eme be king Arthour. c 1340 Cursor M. 3789 (Trin.) Laban þin eeme. 1375 Barbour Bruce x. 305 To help hys eyme. c 1425 Wyntoun Cron. ix. xviii. 7 His Eym þan Erle of Fyfe. c 1465 Eng. Chron. 73, I am thyne eme, thy faderes brother. c 1565 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (1728) 19 His eames, William, earl of Douglas and David his brother. 1612 Drayton Poly-olb. xxii, Henry Hotspur and his eame The earl of Worcester. 1674 Ray N. Country Wds. 16 Mine Eam: My Unkle, also generally my Gossip, my Compere. 1724 Ramsay Tea-t. Misc. (1733) II. 182 Rob my eem hecht me a stock. 1818 Scott Hrt. Midl. xii, ‘Didna his eme die..wi' the name of the Bluidy Mackenyie?’ 1855 Whitby Gloss., Eam or Eeam, ‘mine eam’, my uncle, friend, gossip. |
▪ II. eme
variant of yeme, Obs., heed.