ham
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Ham
(hăm) In the Bible, a son of Noah and the brother of Japheth and Shem.
ham
(hăm)n.
1. The thigh of the hind leg of certain animals, especially a hog.
2. A cut of meat from the thigh of a hog, often cured by salting or smoking.
3. The back of the knee.
4. The back of the thigh.
5. hams The buttocks.
6. A performer who overacts or exaggerates.
7. A licensed amateur radio operator.
v. hammed, ham·ming, hams
v.intr.
To exaggerate or overdo a dramatic role; overact.
v.tr.
Idiom: To exaggerate or overdo (a dramatic role, for example).
ham it up
To act or perform in an exaggerated, often intentionally broadly humorous or ridiculous style.
[Middle English hamme, from Old English hamm. Noun, sense 6, from obsolete slang hamfatter, a poor or amateurish actor, from the song "The Ham-Fat Man" (1863), considered typical of minstrel shows and their low standards of performance and depicting a stereotyped vision of slave life in the American South (including a slave who likes gravy made from ham fat). Noun, sense 7, short for ham operator, originally applied in the 1800s to telegraphers with poor skills, from ham-fisted and ham-handed.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ham
(hæm)n
1. (Zoology) the part of the hindquarters of a pig or similar animal between the hock and the hip
2. (Cookery) the meat of this part, esp when salted or smoked
3. (Anatomy) informal
a. the back of the leg above the knee
b. the space or area behind the knee
4. (Crafts) needlework a cushion used for moulding curves
[Old English hamm; related to Old High German hamma haunch, Old Irish cnāim bone, camm bent, Latin camur bent]
ham
(hæm)n
1. (Theatre) theatre informal
a. an actor who overacts or relies on stock gestures or mannerisms
b. overacting or clumsy acting
c. (as modifier): a ham actor.
2. (Telecommunications) informal
a. a licensed amateur radio operator
b. (as modifier): a ham licence.
vb, hams, hamming or hammed
informal to overact
[C19: special use of ham1; in some senses probably influenced by amateur]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ham1
(hæm)n.
1. a cut of meat from a hog's hind quarter, between hip and hock; thigh.
2. that part of a hog's hind leg.
3. the part of the human leg behind the knee.
4. Often, hams. the back of the thigh, or the thigh and the buttock together.
[before 1000; Middle English hamme, Old English hamm bend of the knee, c. Middle Dutch, Middle Low German hamme, Old High German hamma]
ham2
(hæm)n., v. hammed, ham•ming. n.
1. an actor or performer who overacts.
2. an operator of an amateur radio station.
v.i., v.t. 3. to act with exaggerated expression of emotion; overact.
Idioms: ham it up, to overact; ham.
[1880–85]
Ham
(hæm)n.
the second son of Noah, Gen. 10:1.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ham
, hamstring - Originally, the part of the leg behind the knee was called the ham, and then the tendon near the ham was the hamstring; by extension, the ham became the thigh and buttock together.See also related terms for thigh.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ham
Past participle: hammed
Gerund: hamming
| Imperative |
|---|
| ham |
| ham |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  ham - meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)cut of pork - cut of meat from a hog or pig Virginia ham - a lean hickory-smoked ham; has dark red meat prosciutto - Italian salt-cured ham usually sliced paper thin |
| 2. | Ham - (Old Testament) son of Noah Old Testament - the collection of books comprising the sacred scripture of the Hebrews and recording their history as the chosen people; the first half of the Christian Bible | |
| 3. | ham - a licensed amateur radio operator radio operator - someone who operates a radio transmitter | |
| 4. | ham - an unskilled actor who overacts | |
| Verb | 1. | ham - exaggerate one's acting |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
šunka
skinke
kinkkupaistipolvitaiveradioamatööri
šunka
sonka
skinka
ハム
햄
šķiņķis
hamhespknieboog
şuncă
šunka
skinka
ต้นขาหลังของหมู
thịt giăm-bông
ham
[hæm]A. N
1. (Culin) → jamón m
2. hams (Anat) → nalgas fpl
3. (Theat) (also ham actor) → comicastro m, actor m histriónico (also ham actress) → actriz f histriónica
4. (= radio ham) → radioaficionado/a m/f
B. VI (Theat) → actuar de una manera exagerada or melodramática
ham up VT + ADV to ham it up → actuar de manera exagerada or melodramática
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
ham
[ˈhæm]Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
ham
n
(Anat) hams → (hintere) Oberschenkel pl; (of animal) → (Hinter)keulen pl; to squat on one’s hams → hocken, in der Hocke sitzen
(Theat) → Schmierenkomödiant(in) m(f)
(Rad inf) → Funkamateur(in) m(f)
vi (Theat) → chargieren, übertrieben spielen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
ham
[hæm] nb. (fam) (radio ham) → radioamatore/trice; (ham actor) → gigione/a
ham up vt + adv to ham it up (fam) → fare l'esagerato/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
ham
(hӕm) noun the top of the back leg of a pig, salted and dried.
ˌham-ˈfisted adjective clumsy. He can't tie a knot in that rope – he's too ham-fisted.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
ham
→ لـَحْم فَخِذ الـخَنْزير šunka skinke Schinken ζαμπόν jamón kinkku jambon šunka prosciutto ハム 햄 ham skinke szynka presunto ветчина skinka ต้นขาหลังของหมู jambon thịt giăm-bông 火腿Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
ham
1. n. corva de la pierna, región poplítea detrás de la rodilla;
2. jamón.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
ham
n jamón mEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.