em
|em|
/ɛm/
width/measure based on the letter M
Etymology
'em' originates from the name of the letter 'M' in English (from Middle English 'em'), where the letter name was used in printing to refer to the width associated with that letter.
'em' changed from the letter-name usage (Middle English 'em') into a typographic measure denoting the width of the capital M and later came to be used for related spacing terms (for example, em dash and em space).
Initially, it meant the name of the letter 'M'; over time it evolved into the typographic meaning 'a unit equal to the point size / the width of M' and extended to various spacing uses.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a typographic unit equal to the currently specified point size (originally the width of the capital letter 'M'); used for spacing (e.g., em dash, em space).
Increase the paragraph indent by one em.
Synonyms
Noun 2
the name of the letter 'M'.
The word em represents the name of the letter M.
Pronoun 1
an informal or dialectal contraction of 'them' (objective case).
I told em to wait outside.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/02 04:12