lem

lem

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Nomaande.

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Nomaande terms

• len — dialectal

Possibly from a Proto-Albanian *leudno, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- (“man, people”). Alternatively formed from polem.

lem m (plural leme, definite lemi, definite plural lemet)

1. people

• lemnu

From Latin lignum. Compare Daco-Romanian lemn.

lem n (plural lemi)

1. wood

From Middle High German leben, from Old High German lebēn, from Proto-West Germanic *libbjan, from Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live; to be alive”). Cognate with German leben, English live.

lem (auxiliary håm)

1. (Luserna) to live at, reside

   Moine non lem atz Lusérn. ― My grandparents live in Luserna.

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

• IPA^(key): /lɛmˀ/, [ˈlɛmˀ]
• Rhymes: -ɛmˀ

From Old Danish lim, from Old Norse limr, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”), cognate with Norwegian, Swedish lem, English limb, Dutch leem.

lem n (singular definite lemmet, plural indefinite lemmer)

1. limb (arm or leg in a human or an animal)
2. (formal) penis
3. (dated) inmate (in an institution)

• “lem,2” in Den Danske Ordbog

From Old Norse hlemmr, from Proto-Germanic *hlammiz (“noice; lid”), cognate with Norwegian lem, Swedish läm, Old English hlemm, Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 (hlamma).

lem c (singular definite lemmen, plural indefinite lemme)

1. hatch
2. trapdoor

• “lem,1” in Den Danske Ordbog

lem

1. (reintegrationist norm) third-person plural present indicative of ler

lem (weak)

1. first-person singular present indicative of lemja
2. second-person singular imperative of lemja

From Dutch lijm, from Middle Dutch lijm, from Old Dutch *līm, from Proto-Germanic *līmaz.

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈlɛm/ [ˈlem]
• Rhymes: -ɛm
• Syllabification: lem

lèm (plural lem-lem)

1. glue (any sticky adhesive substance)

   Synonym: perekat

2. adhesive

   Synonym: perekat

• gam (Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)
• perekat (Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)

• “lem”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

• IPA^(key): /lʲɛmˠ/

lem (triggers lenition)

1. (Munster) contraction of le +‎ mo, literally “with my”

   Chuir sé cúl orm lem chuid oibre.

   It left me late with my work.

From Proto-Finnic *lämbin. Akin to Finnish lämmin.

• IPA^(key): /ˈlem/, [ˈlemː]

lem (comparative (ve’l) jo lem, superlative amā lem)

1. warm

lem

1. warmth

• Tiit-Rein Viitso; Valts Ernštreits (2012–2013), “lem”, in Līvõkīel-ēstikīel-lețkīel sõnārōntõz [Livonian-Estonian-Latvian Dictionary]‎^[1] (in Estonian and Latvian), Tartu, Rīga: Tartu Ülikool, Latviešu valodas aģentūra

Apocopic form of lembap (“slow, especially of brains”)

lem (comparative lebih lem, superlative paling lem)

1. (colloquial) alternative form of lembap

• Hoogervorst, Tom (2015), “Malay youth language in West Malaysia”, in NUSA‎^[2], volume 58, number 3, →DOI, archived from the original on 26 April 2025, page 30

lem

1. alternative form of leme

• IPA^(key): /ˈl̠ʲeβ̃/

From Old Irish lem, from Proto-Celtic *limos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁élem (“mountain elm”).

lem m (genitive lim)

1. elm tree

• lemán

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 lem”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

From Proto-Celtic *lemos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃lemH- (“weak, broken, soft”).

lem

1. soft, tender
2. weak, powerless
3. impotent (in sexual sense)
4. foolish, worthless

• Irish: leamh
• Scottish Gaelic: leamh

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 lem”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

From Middle High German leben, from Old High German lebēn, from Proto-West Germanic *libbjan, from Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live; to be alive”). Cognate with German leben, English live.

lem

1. to live

From Middle High German leben, from Old High German lebēn (noun), from the verb. Cognate with German Leben.

lem n

1. life

• “lem” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.

• IPA^(key): [lɛm]

From Old Norse limr, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”) (compare English limb).

lem (definite singular lemmen or lemen, indefinite plural lemmar or lemmer or lemar or lemer, definite plural lammane or lemmene or lemane or lemene)

1. limb
2. member
3. (euphemistic) penis

From Old Norse hlemmr, from Proto-Germanic *hlammiz, as also Icelandic hlemmur.

lem m (definite singular lemmen, indefinite plural lemmar, definite plural lemmane)

1. hatch
2. trapdoor

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

lem

1. inflection of lemja:
   1. present
   2. imperative
2. imperative of lema and lemma

• “lem” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

• mel

From Proto-Celtic *limos (compare Welsh llwyf, from a variant *leimos), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁élem (“mountain elm”); compare Latin ulmus.

• IPA^(key): /ˈl̠ʲeβ̃/

lem m (genitive lim)

1. elm tree

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃lemH- (“weak, broken, soft”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈl̠ʲeβ̃/

lem

1. soft, tender
2. weak, powerless

• lemlacht / lemnacht

• Middle Irish: lem
  • Irish: leamh
  • Scottish Gaelic: leamh

• leim, lemm, lim, limm, lium, liumm

• IPA^(key): /ˈl̠ʲem/

lem

1. first-person singular of la

• Scottish Gaelic: leam

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 lem (‘elm tree’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 lem (‘soft’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

From Old Norse limr, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”) (compare English limb).

• Rhymes: -ɛmː

lem c

1. a limb (major appendage of a human or animal)
3. a member (penis)

   Synonym: manslem

   1. (colloquial, euphemistic) an organ (penis – see usage notes)
      • 1993, Ronny & Ragge, “Pökpåsen [The rubber]”, in Let's Pök! [Let's Bone!]‎^[3]:

        Det låg en lapp bredvid min lem. Det stod "Mors, jag har stuckit hem". Pökpåsen är min bäste vän, och tack vare den har jag kvar min lem.

        There was [lay] a note next to my organ [might be the best match for tone here – member sounds a bit too formal even jokingly, and dick a bit too vulgar]. It said, "Ciao, I've gone home." The rubber is my best friend, and thanks to it I still have my organ.

Sometimes used in a more colloquial euphemistic sense in (sense 2), where it could also be translated as organ, dick, manhood, or the like.

• manslem
• medlem

• kuk
• läm

• lem in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• lem in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• lem in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• Fula Ordboken

• nhem

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [lɛm˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [lɛm˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [lɛm˧˧]

lem • (淋, 𥋲)

1. smudged, soiled

   Cô Bé Lọ Lem ― Cinderella (literally, “The Soot-smeared Girl”)

lem (genitive lema, plural lems)

1. paralysis

From Thai เลี้ยว (líao) ("to turn"), with vowel reduction.

lem

1. to turn (to change direction of travel)
2. to change direction when driving