dam

See also: Dam, dám, dâm, dăm, da̰m, and Appendix:Variations of "dam"

Translingual

Symbol

dam

  1. (metrology) Symbol for the decameter (decametre), an SI unit of length equal to 101 meters (metres).

English

A dam

Pronunciation

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

Etymology 1

From Middle English dam, damme, from Old English *dam, *damm (inferred from derivative fordemman (“to hem in”)), 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
    A dam is often an essential source of water to farmers of hilly country.
    • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad‎:
      Nothing could be more business-like than the construction of the stout dams, and nothing more gently rural than the limpid lakes, with the grand old forest trees marshalled round their margins … .
    • 2013 August 16, John Vidal, “Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 10, page 8:
      Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys.
  2. The water reservoir resulting from placing such structure
    Boats may only be used at places set aside for boating on the dam
  3. (dentistry) A device to prevent a tooth from getting wet, 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.
  6. (India) An obsolete Indian copper coin, equal to a fortieth of a rupee.
    • 1839, William Holloway, A General Dictionary of Provincialisms, Written with a View to Rescue from Oblivion the Fast Fading Relics of By-gone Days, Lewes, East Sussex: Sussex Press: Printed and published by Baxter and Son, OCLC 3138091, page 42:
      […] A small Indian coin; whence comes the saying "I don't care a dam for you," that is I don't value you a farthing, and not as generally given, "I don't care a damn" or a "curse for you." [Possibly a folk etymology.]
Translations
structure placed across a flowing body of water

Verb

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

  1. To block the flow of water.
Translations
See also

References

    Etymology 2

    Variant of dame.

    Noun

    dam (plural dams)

    1. Female parent, mother, generally regarding breeding of animals (correlative to sire).
      • Shakespeare
        The dam runs lowing up and down, / Looking the way her harmless young one went.
      • 1603, John Florio, transl.; Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes, […], printed at London: […] Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:
        , II.12:
        Hunters assure us, that to chuse the best dog, and which they purpose to keepe from out a litter of other young whelps, there is no better meane than the damme herselfe […].
      • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, I:
        she / Resolved that Juan should be quite a paragon, / And worthy of the noblest pedigree / (His sire was from Castile, his dam from Aragon) […].
      • 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, 1992, p.112:
        The sky was cloudless—the moon rolled across the surface like a lamb searching for its dam.
    2. A kind of crowned piece in the game of draughts.
    Translations

    Etymology 3

    Noun

    dam (plural dams)

    1. A former coin of Nepal, 128 of which were worth one mohar.

    Further reading

    Anagrams

    Afrikaans

    Etymology

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

    Noun

    dam (plural damme)

    1. pond, basin
    2. dam

    Derived terms

    Cebuano

    Etymology

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

    Noun

    dam

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

    Crimean Tatar

    Noun

    dam

    1. stable
    2. roof
    3. taste

    Declension

    Synonyms

    Danish

    Etymology 1

    From Old Norse dammr (“dam”).

    Noun

    dam c (singular definite dammen, plural indefinite damme)

    1. pond
    Inflection
    Derived terms
    • dambrug n

    Etymology 2

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

    Noun

    dam c, 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/
    • Audio(file)
    • Rhymes: -ɑm

    Etymology 1

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

    Noun

    dam m (plural dammen, diminutive dammetje n)

    1. dam
    Derived terms
    Descendants

    Etymology 2

    Borrowed from French dame.

    Noun

    dam f (plural dammen)

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

    Etymology 3

    See etymology on the main entry.

    Verb

    dam

    1. first-person singular present indicative of dammen
    2. imperative of dammen

    French

    Etymology

    Borrowed from Latin damnum.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /dɑ̃/

    Noun

    dam m (plural dams)

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

    Derived terms

    Further reading

    Anagrams

    Friulian

    Etymology

    From Latin damnum.

    Noun

    dam m (plural dams)

    1. damage

    Synonyms

    • daneç

    Irish

    Pronoun

    dam (emphatic damsa)

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

    Maltese

    Verb

    dam

    1. dally, stall

    Norwegian Bokmål

    Etymology

    From Middle Norwegian dammr m, from Old Norse damm n. The meaning dam (structure) probably comes from Middle Low German [Term?]. Sense 3 is from French jeu de dames.

    Noun

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

    1. a pond
    2. a dam (structure)
    3. the game of checkers (US) or draughts (UK)

    References

    Norwegian Nynorsk

    Etymology

    From Middle Norwegian dammr m, from Old Norse damm n. The meaning dam (structure) probably comes from Middle Low German [Term?]. Sense 3 is from French jeu de dames.

    Noun

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

    1. a pond
    2. a dam (structure)
    3. the game of checkers (US) or draughts (UK)

    References

    Old Irish

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /daṽ/

    Etymology 1

    From Proto-Celtic *damos (“bull”), from Proto-Indo-European *demh₂-

    Noun

    dam m (genitive daim)

    1. ox
    2. stag
    3. (by extension) hero, champion
    Declension
    Masculine o-stem
    Singular Dual Plural
    Nominative dam damL daimL
    Vocative daim damL daumu
    Accusative damN damL daumu
    Genitive daimL dam damN
    Dative daumL damaib damaib
    Initial mutations of a following adjective:
    • H = triggers aspiration
    • L = triggers lenition
    • N = triggers nasalization
    • Alternative forms:
      genitive singular, nominative plural: doim
      dative singular: dum, dam
      accusative plural: dumu, damu
    Descendants

    Noun

    dam f

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

    Etymology 2

    Inflected forms of daimid.

    Verb

    dam

    1. first-person singular present subjunctive conjunct of daimid
    2. Alternative form of daim

    ·dam

    1. Alternative form of ·daim

    Mutation

    Old Irish mutation
    RadicalLenitionNasalization
    dam dam
    pronounced with /ð(ʲ)-/    		 ndam
    Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
    possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

    References

    • “1 dam” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
    • “2 dam” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

    Polish

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): [d̪ãm]

    Verb

    dam

    1. first-person singular present of dać

    Noun

    dam

    1. genitive plural of dama

    Rohingya

    Etymology

    From Bengali [Term?].

    Noun

    dam

    1. price

    Swedish

    Pronunciation

    • audio(file)
    • IPA(key): /dɑːm/

    Noun

    dam c

    1. a lady, a woman
    2. (card games) a queen
      Ruter dam
      Queen of diamonds
    3. (chess) a queen

    Declension

    Declension of dam 
    Singular Plural
    Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
    Nominative dam damen damer damerna
    Genitive dams damens damers damernas

    Synonyms

    See also

    Chess pieces in Swedish · schackpjäser (schack + pjäser) (layout · text)
    ♚ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟
    kung drottning, dam torn löpare springare, häst bonde

    References

    Turkish

    Etymology

    From Old Turkic [script needed] (tam), from Proto-Turkic *Tām (“roof; wall; hut”), which, according to the controversial Altaic hypothesis, is possibly derived from Proto-Altaic *t`āma (“wall, roof”).

    Compare Uyghur تام‎ (tam, “wall”), Korean 담 (dam, “wall”).

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /dɑm/

    Noun

    dam (definite accusative damı, plural damlar)

    1. roof

    References

      Uzbek

      Noun

      dam (plural damlar)

      1. bellows
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