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 secʓan 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., 11464. His fader wes Ælenen æm.
c. 1250. Gen. & Ex., 1758. Ðus meðelike spac ðis em.
c. 1330. Arth. & Merl., 4583. Gif min eme þe 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.
1622. Drayton, Poly-olb., xxii. 36. Henry Hotspurre and his Eame The Earle of Wor’ster.
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.
Eme, variant of YEME, Obs., heed.
