Eam

Alternative forms

• eame
• eme Scottish

Origin

From Middle English eem, eme, from Old English ēam ("maternal uncle"), from Proto-Germanic *auhaimaz, *awahaimaz ("maternal uncle"), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwh₂os ("maternal uncle, maternal grandfather"). Cognate with Scots eme ("uncle"), West Frisian iem, omke ("uncle"), Dutch oom ("uncle"), German Ohm, Oheim ("maternal uncle"), Latin avunculus ("maternal uncle"). See uncle.

Full definition of eam

Noun

1. (dialectal or obsolete) Uncle.
• 2011, Ernest R. Holloway, Andrew Melville and Humanism in Renaissance Scotland 1545-1622:James Melville remarked that during his uncle's time in Geneva he became “weill acquented with my eam, Mr. hendrie Scrymgeour” and was said to have been “a frequent visitor at his lodgings in town, and also at the Violet.

Related terms

• neam

Anagrams

• AME, AmE
• EMA
• Mae