em

Etymology 1

Attested since 1808. In typography, the em is named after the em quadrat (later called em quad), from m quadrat, a metal type used in letterpress typesetting, which is as wide as the point size of the font.

noun

1. The name of the Latin-script letter M.
   The ems and ens at the beginnings and ends.
   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. (typography) A unit of measurement equal to the height of the type in use.

Etymology 2

pron

1. Alternative form of 'em

Etymology 3

Coined by Christine M. Elverson by removing the "th" from them, perhaps influenced by the pre-existing em/'em, now often perceived as apheretic forms of them (though originally unrelated).

pron

1. (rare, nonstandard) A gender-neutral third-person singular object pronoun, the objective case of ey, 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. 1986-04-01, Michael Spivak, The Joy of TeX: A Gourmet Guide to Typesetting with the AMS-TeX macro package, Providence: American Mathematical Society, →LCCN, LCC Z253.4.T47 S673 1986, page 68
   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, →LCCN, page 138
   E invites em to consider how ey represent emselves, 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 Inman, James A., Sewell, Donna N., editors, Taking flight with OWLs: Examining Electronic Writing Center Work, Taylor & Francis, 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. 2011-03-15, RJ Edwards, “89: New Friend”, in Riot Nrrd, retrieved 2012-10-06

Etymology 4

Compare um.

intj

1. (Scotland, Ireland) a form of hesitant speech, or an expression of uncertainty; um; umm; erm
   She was going to, em... the salon, I think.

Etymology 5

noun

1. The name of the Cyrillic script letter М / м.