dam

English Online Dictionary. What means dam‎? What does dam mean?

Translingual

Symbol

dam

1. (metrology) Symbol for decameter (decametre), an SI unit of length equal to 10¹ meters (metres).
2. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Damakawa.

See also

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Damakawa terms

English

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /dæm/
• Homophone: damn
• Rhymes: -æm

Etymology 1

From Middle English dam, from Old English *damm, from Proto-West Germanic *damm, from Proto-Germanic *dammaz.

Noun

dam (plural dams)

1. A structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding.
2. The water reservoir resulting from placing such a structure.

3. (dentistry) A device to prevent a tooth from getting wet during dental work, consisting of a rubber sheet held with a band.
4. (South Africa, Australia) A reservoir.
5. A firebrick wall, or a stone, which forms the front of the hearth of a blast furnace.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

dam (third-person singular simple present dams, present participle damming, simple past and past participle dammed)

1. (transitive) To block the flow of water.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Variant of dame. Doublet of domina and donna.

Noun

dam (plural dams)

2. Female parent, mother, generally regarding breeding of animals.
3. A kind of crowned piece in the game of draughts.

Coordinate terms

• (male parent): sire

Translations

Etymology 3

Said to be possibly coined from the English phrase "I don't give a dam(n)," referring to its small worth.

Noun

dam (plural dams) (historical)

1. (India) An obsolete Indian copper coin, equal to a fortieth of a rupee.
2. A former coin of Nepal, 128 of which were worth one mohar.

References

Etymology 4

Pronunciation spelling of damn.

Alternative forms

• dam'

Interjection

dam

1. (slang or pronunciation spelling) Damn.

Adjective

dam (not comparable)

1. (slang or pronunciation spelling) Damn.

Further reading

• dam on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• dam (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Dam in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Anagrams

• DMA, Mad, MAD, Adm, MDA, Adm., adm., mad, AMD, ADM

Afrikaans

Etymology

From Dutch dam, from Middle Dutch dam, from Old Dutch dam, from Proto-Germanic *dammaz.

Pronunciation

Noun

dam (plural damme)

1. pond, basin
2. dam

Derived terms

• opgaardam
• studam

Albanian

Noun

dam m

1. Gheg form of dëm

Arem

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *ɗam, from Proto-Mon-Khmer *p(ɗ)am; cognate with Vietnamese năm.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [dam]

Numeral

dam

1. five

Further reading

• Michel Ferlus, 2014, Arem, a Vietic Language, Mon-Khmer Studies 43.1-15, page 5

Azerbaijani

Etymology 1

From Old Anatolian Turkish طام (d̥am, dam), from Proto-Turkic *tām.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɑm/

Noun

dam (definite accusative damı, plural damlar)

1. roof
2. hovel, shack
3. dugout
4. cowshed, sheep cote (a structure where animals are held)

   donuz damı ― pigsty

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Persian دام (“trap”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɑm/

Noun

dam (definite accusative damı, plural damlar)

1. (figurative) lockup, jail, quod

   dama basdırmaq ― to lock up, to put in jail

2. (archaic) grid, net
3. (archaic) trap, snare

   Synonyms: tələ, cələ, duzaq

   dam qurmaq ― to set a trap

Declension

Cebuano

Etymology

From English dam, from Middle English dam, damme, from Old English *dam, *damm, from Proto-Germanic *dammaz.

Noun

dam

1. dam (a structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow)
2. a reservoir

Crimean Tatar

Noun

dam (accusative [please provide], plural [please provide])

1. stable
2. roof
3. taste

Declension

Synonyms

• (stable): aran
• (taste): lezet, nezet, tat, dad

Danish

Etymology 1

From Old Norse dammr (“dam”).

Noun

dam c (singular definite dammen, plural indefinite damme)

1. pond
2. corf, livewell (for storage of live fish under water)

Inflection

Derived terms

• dambrug n

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French jeu de dames (“draughts”).

Noun

dam c or n

1. draughts, checkers

Etymology 3

Borrowed from French dame (“lady”).

Noun

dam c (singular definite dammen, plural indefinite dammer)

1. king (superior piece in draughts)

Inflection

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɑm/
• Hyphenation: dam
• Homophone: Dam
• Rhymes: -ɑm

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch dam, from Old Dutch dam, from Proto-West Germanic *damm, from Proto-Germanic *dammaz.

Noun

dam m (plural dammen, diminutive dammetje n)

1. dam

Derived terms

Descendants

• Afrikaans: dam
• → Caribbean Hindustani: dám
• → Indonesian: dam (“dam”)
• → Papiamentu: dam
• → Saramaccan: dan
• → Sranan Tongo: dan, dam
  • → Caribbean Javanese: dham

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle French dame, from Spanish dama.

Noun

dam f (plural dammen)

1. (checkers) king (double draught/checker)

Related terms

Descendants

• → Indonesian: dam (“draught/checker(s)”)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

dam

1. inflection of dammen:
   1. first-person singular present indicative
   2. (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative
   3. imperative

French

Etymology

Inherited from Latin damnum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (predominant) /dam/, (dated) /dɑ̃/, (archaic) /dan/
• Homophones: dams (general), dame, dames (form 1), dans, dent, dents (form 2)

Noun

dam m (plural dams)

1. (obsolete except in phrases) damage
2. (religion) damnation

Derived terms

• au grand dam de

Related terms

• damner
• dommage

References

Further reading

• “dam”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• AMD

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin damnum.

Noun

dam m (plural dams)

1. damage

Synonyms

• daneç

Related terms

• danâ

Galician

Verb

dam

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

Garo

Etymology

Borrowed from Bengali দাম (dam).

Noun

dam

1. price

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈdam/ [ˈdam]
• Rhymes: -am
• Syllabification: dam

Etymology 1

From Dutch dam (“king (draught/checkers)”), from Middle French dame, from Old French dame, from Latin domina.

Noun

dam (plural dam-dam)

1. (games) draught (American), checkers (British)
2. checker (a pattern of alternating colours as on a chessboard)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Dutch dam (“dam”), from Middle Dutch dam, from Old Dutch dam, from Proto-Germanic *dammaz.

Noun

dam (plural dam-dam)

1. (uncommon) synonym of bendungan

Compounds

Etymology 3

From Arabic دَم (dam, “blood”), from Proto-Semitic *dam-, from Proto-Afroasiatic *dam-.

Noun

dam (plural dam-dam)

1. (Islam) fine (a fee levied as punishment for breaking the law)

Further reading

• “dam” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

Irish

Pronoun

dam (emphatic damsa)

1. alternative form of dom (“for/to me”)

Komo

Noun

dam

1. honey

Malay

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [dam]
• Rhymes: -am
• Hyphenation: dam

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Dutch dam (“king (draught/checkers)”), from Middle French dame, from Old French dame, from Latin domina.

Adjective

dam (Jawi spelling دم)

1. Looking like a checkers board (of a surface).

Noun

dam (Jawi spelling دم)

1. (board games) Draughts, checkers.

   Synonym: damdam

Compounds

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic دَم (dam, “blood”), from Proto-Semitic *dam-, from Proto-Afroasiatic *dam-.

Noun

dam (Jawi spelling دم, plural dam-dam)

1. (Islam) A punishment given to someone for breaking certain rules when performing the hajj.

Etymology 3

Onomatopoeic.

Noun

dam (Jawi spelling دم, plural dam-dam)

1. (onomatopoeia) The sound of a drum being beaten.

Etymology 4

Onomatopoeic, from the sound of taking a whiff of the marijuana.

Noun

dam (Jawi spelling دم, plural dam-dam)

1. (Perlis) Marijuana, weed.

   Synonym: ganja

Further reading

• “dam” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /daːm/

Etymology 1

From Arabic دَامَ (dāma).

Verb

dam (imperfect jdum, verbal noun dewm or dewmien or dawmien)

1. to last; to take (time, especially long time)

   Alternative form: diem

   Synonym: (imperfect only) jtul

Conjugation

Etymology 2

From Arabic إِدَام (ʔidām).

Noun

dam m

1. tallow

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English *damm, from Proto-West Germanic *damm.

Alternative forms

• damme, dame

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dam/

Noun

dam

1. dam (structure to block water)
2. body of water

Descendants

• English: dam
• Scots: dam

References

• “dam, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Noun

dam

1. alternative form of dame

Etymology 3

Noun

dam

1. (when preceding labials) alternative form of dan

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish dam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /daβ̃/

Noun

dam m (genitive daim)

1. ox

Descendants

• Irish: damh
• Manx: dow
• Scottish Gaelic: damh

Mutation

Further reading

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

Mokilese

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic *saman (“outrigger”), from Proto-Austronesian *saʀman (“outrigger”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdam/

Noun

dam

1. (nautical) outrigger
2. (by metaphorical extension) wife

Possessive forms

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Danish dam, from Old Norse dammr m, damm n. The meaning dam (structure) probably comes from Middle Low German [Term?].

Noun

dam m (definite singular dammen, indefinite plural dammer, definite plural dammene)

1. a pond
2. a dam (structure)

Synonyms

• demning (structure)

Etymology 2

From French jeu de dames.

Noun

dam m (definite singular dammen, indefinite plural dammer, definite plural dammene)

1. the game of checkers (US) or draughts (UK)

References

• “dam” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Middle Norwegian dammr m, from Old Norse damm n. The meaning dam (structure) probably comes from Middle Low German [Term?].

Noun

dam m (definite singular dammen, indefinite plural dammar, definite plural dammane)

1. a pond
2. a dam (structure)

Synonyms

• demning (structure)

Etymology 2

From French jeu de dames.

Noun

dam m (definite singular dammen, indefinite plural dammar, definite plural dammane)

1. the game of checkers (US) or draughts (UK)

References

• “dam” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Occitan

Alternative forms

• ab (Gard)
• amb (Languedoc)
• ambé (Provençal)
• dab (Gascony)
• damb (Gascony)
• emb (Limousin)
• embé (Provençal)

Pronunciation

Adverb

dam

1. (Gascony) (accompaniment) with
   • 2012, Joan-Pau Ferré, Eth Arrestoth, 2014, Éditions des Régionalismes, Cressé, page 12.

Old Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [daβ̃]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *damos, from Proto-Indo-European *dm̥h₂-ó- (“bull”) (compare Albanian dem (“bullock”), Persian دام (dâm, “livestock”), Ancient Greek δάμαλος (dámalos, “calf”)), from *demh₂- (“to tame”) (compare Old Irish daimid (“to allow, give in”), Latin domō, English tame).

Noun

dam m (genitive daim)

1. ox
2. stag
3. (by extension) hero, champion

Declension

Quotations

• c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 10^d6

Derived terms

• damán m (“calf”)

Descendants

• Middle Irish: dam
  • Irish: damh
  • Manx: dow
  • Scottish Gaelic: damh

Noun

dam f

1. hind, cow (old feminine form of previous)

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

dam

1. second-person singular imperative of daimid

Verb

·dam

1. inflection of daimid:
   1. third-person singular present indicative conjunct
   2. first-person singular present subjunctive conjunct

Etymology 3

Pronoun

dam

1. alternative form of dom (“to/for me”)

Mutation

Further reading

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

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdam/
• Rhymes: -am
• Syllabification: dam

Verb

dam

1. first-person singular future of dać

Noun

dam

1. genitive plural of dama

Rohingya

Alternative forms

• 𐴊𐴝𐴔𐴢 (dam) — Hanifi Rohingya script

Etymology

From Magadhi Prakrit 𑀤𑀫𑁆𑀫 (damma), from Sanskrit দ্ৰম্ম (drámma), borrowed from Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ). Cognate with Bengali দাম (dam).

Noun

dam (Hanifi spelling 𐴊𐴝𐴔𐴢)

1. price

   Synonyms: dor, kimot

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish دام (dam), from Old Turkic [script needed] (tam), from Proto-Turkic *tām.

Noun

dam n (plural damuri)

1. cowshed

Declension

San Juan Guelavía Zapotec

Noun

dam

1. owl

References

• López Antonio, Joaquín, Jones, Ted, Jones, Kris (2012) Vocabulario breve del Zapoteco de San Juan Guelavía‎^[2] (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Tlalpan, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., pages 14, 23, 40

Sumerian

Romanization

dam

1. romanization of 𒁮 (dam)

Swedish

Etymology

From French dame.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɑːm/

Noun

dam c

1. a lady, a woman
2. (card games, chess, checkers) a queen

   ruter dam ― queen of diamonds

Declension

Synonyms

• (in chess): drottning

Derived terms

See also

References

• dam in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• dam in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• dam in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish طام (dam), from Old Turkic [script needed] (tam), from Proto-Turkic *tām. Cognate with Uyghur تام (tam, “wall”).

Compare Korean 담 (dam, “wall”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɑm/
• Rhymes: -dɑm

Noun

dam (definite accusative damı, plural damlar)

1. roof
2. cowshed, sheep cote (a structure where animals are held)
3. (figurative, informal) lockup, jail

Declension

Uzbek

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian دَم (dam).

Noun

dam (plural damlar)

1. moment, second

Vietnamese

Etymology

See đam. ‹d› here is the result of lenition (Proto-Vietic *k-t- > Middle Vietnamese ‹d› /ð/ > Modern Vietnamese ‹d›).

Pronunciation

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

Noun

(classifier con) dam

1. alternative form of đam (“freshwater crab”)

Zoogocho Zapotec

Noun

dam

1. owl

References

• Long C., Rebecca, Cruz M., Sofronio (2000) Diccionario zapoteco de San Bartolomé Zoogocho, Oaxaca (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 38)‎^[5] (in Spanish), second electronic edition, Coyoacán, D.F.: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 215