# lem
## Albanian
### Alternative forms

* len — dialectal

### Etymology

Possibly from a Proto-Albanian *leudno, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁lewdʰ- (“man, people”). Alternatively formed from polem.

### Noun

lem m (plural leme, definite lemi, definite plural lemet)
* people

#### Declension
## Aromanian
### Alternative forms

* lemnu

### Etymology

From Latin lignum. Compare Daco-Romanian lemn.

### Noun

lem n (plural lemi)
* wood

## Cimbrian
### Etymology

From Middle High German leben, from Old High German lebēn, from Proto-West Germanic *libbjan, from Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live; to be alive”). Cognate with German leben, English live.

### Verb

lem (auxiliary håm)
* (Luserna) to live at, reside
    Moine non lem atz Lusérn. ― My grandparents live in Luserna.

### References

* Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien

## Danish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /lɛmˀ/, [ˈlɛmˀ]
* Rhymes: -ɛmˀ

### Etymology 1

From Old Danish lim, from Old Norse limr, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”), cognate with Norwegian, Swedish lem, English limb, Dutch leem.

#### Noun

lem n (singular definite lemmet, plural indefinite lemmer)
* limb (arm or leg in a human or an animal)
* (formal) penis
* (dated) inmate (in an institution)

##### Derived terms

* baglem
* fattiglem
* forlem
* langlemmet
* lemmeløs
* medlem
* sværlemmet

#### References

* “lem,2” in Den Danske Ordbog

### Etymology 2

From Old Norse hlemmr, from Proto-Germanic *hlammiz (“noice; lid”), cognate with Norwegian lem, Swedish läm, Old English hlemm, Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 (hlamma).

#### Noun

lem c (singular definite lemmen, plural indefinite lemme)
* hatch
* trapdoor

##### Derived terms

* faldlem
* kattelem
* loftslem

#### References

* “lem,1” in Den Danske Ordbog

## Galician
### Verb

lem
* (reintegrationist norm) third-person plural present indicative of ler

## Icelandic
### Verb

lem (weak)
* first-person singular present indicative of lemja
* second-person singular imperative of lemja

## Indonesian
### Etymology

From Dutch lijm, from Middle Dutch lijm, from Old Dutch *līm, from Proto-Germanic *līmaz.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈlɛm]
* Hyphenation: lèm

### Noun

lem or lèm
* glue (any sticky adhesive substance)
    Synonym: perekat

#### Synonyms

* gam (Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)
* perekat (Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore)

#### Derived terms

* leman
* mengelem
* pengelem
* pengeleman

### Further reading

* “lem” 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
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /lʲɛmˠ/

### Contraction

lem (triggers lenition)
* (Munster) Contraction of le mo (“with my”).
    Chuir sé cúl orm lem chuid oibre.It left me late with my work.

#### Related terms

| Basic form | Contracted with | Contracted with | Contracted with | Contracted with | Contracted with | Contracted with | Contracted with | Copular forms | Copular forms | Copular forms |
| Basic form | an (“the sg”) | na (“the pl”) | mo (“my”) | do (“your”) | a (“his, her, their; which (present)”) | ár (“our”) | ar (“which (past)”) | (before consonant) | (present/future before vowel) | (past/conditional before vowel) |
| de (“from”) | den | de na desna* | de mo dem* | de do ded*, det* | dá | dár | dár | dar | darb | darbh |
| do (“to, for”) | don | do na dosna* | do mo dom* | do do dod*, dot* | dá | dár | dár | dar | darb | darbh |
| faoi (“under, about”) | faoin | faoi na | faoi mo | faoi do | faoina | faoinár | faoinar | faoinar | faoinarb | faoinarbh |
| i (“in”) | sa, san | sna | i mo im* | i do id*, it* | ina | inár | inar | inar | inarb | inarbh |
| le (“with”) | leis an | leis na | le mo lem* | le do led*, let* | lena | lenár | lenar | lenar | lenarb | lenarbh |
| ó (“from, since”) | ón | ó na ósna* | ó mo óm* | ó do ód*, ót* | óna | ónár | ónar | ónar | ónarb | ónarbh |
| trí (“through”) | tríd an | trí na | trí mo | trí do | trína | trínár | trínar | trínar | trínarb | trínarbh |
| *Dialectal. |||||||||||

## Livonian
### Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *lämbin. Akin to Finnish lämmin.

### Adjective

lem
* warm

## Middle English
### Noun

lem
* Alternative form of leme

## Middle Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /l͈ʲeβ̃/

### Etymology 1

From Old Irish lem, from Proto-Celtic *limos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁élem (“mountain elm”).

#### Noun

lem m (genitive lim)
* elm tree
    Synonym: lemán

### Etymology 2

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃lemH- (“weak, broken, soft”).

#### Adjective

lem
* soft, tender
* weak, powerless
* impotent (in sexual sense)
* foolish, worthless

##### Descendants

* Irish: leamh
* Scottish Gaelic: leamh

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Middle Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### Further reading

* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 lem (‘elm tree’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 lem (‘soft’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

## Mòcheno
### Etymology 1

From Middle High German leben, from Old High German lebēn, from Proto-West Germanic *libbjan, from Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live; to be alive”). Cognate with German leben, English live.

#### Verb

lem
* to live

### Etymology 2

From Middle High German leben, from Old High German lebēn (noun), from the verb. Cognate with German Leben.

#### Noun

lem n
* life

### References

* “lem” in Cimbrian, Ladin, Mòcheno: Getting to know 3 peoples. 2015. Servizio minoranze linguistiche locali della Provincia autonoma di Trento, Trento, Italy.

## Norwegian Nynorsk
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [lɛm]

### Etymology 1

From Old Norse limr, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”) (compare English limb).

#### Noun

lem (definite singular lemmen or lemen, indefinite plural lemmar or lemmer or lemar or lemer, definite plural lammane or lemmene or lemane or lemene)
* limb
* member
* (euphemistic) penis

### Etymology 2

From Old Norse hlemmr, from Proto-Germanic *hlammiz, as also Icelandic hlemmur.

#### Noun

lem m (definite singular lemmen, indefinite plural lemmar, definite plural lemmane)
* hatch
* trapdoor

### Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

#### Verb

lem
* inflection of lemja:
** present
** imperative
* imperative of lema and lemma

### References

* “lem” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

### Anagrams

* mel

## Old Irish
### Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *limos (compare Welsh llwyf, from a variant *leimos), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁élem (“mountain elm”); compare Latin ulmus.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [l͈ʲeβ̃]

#### Noun

lem m (genitive lim)
* elm tree

##### Declension

* $^H$ = triggers aspiration
* $^L$ = triggers lenition
* $^N$ = triggers nasalization

### Etymology 2

Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃lemH- (“weak, broken, soft”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [l͈ʲeβ̃]

#### Adjective

lem
* soft, tender
* weak, powerless

##### Declension

*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized

##### Descendants

* Middle Irish: lem
** Irish: leamh
** Scottish Gaelic: leamh

### Etymology 3
#### Alternative forms

* leim, lemm, lim, limm, lium, liumm

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [l͈ʲem]

#### Pronoun

lem
* first-person singular of la

##### Descendants

* Scottish Gaelic: leam

### Mutation

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish. All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

### Further reading

* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 lem (‘elm tree’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 lem (‘soft’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

## Swedish
### Etymology

From Old Norse limr, from Proto-Germanic *limuz (“branch, limb”) (compare English limb).

### Noun

lem c
* a limb (major appendage of a human or animal)
* a member (penis)
    Synonym: manslem
** (colloquial, euphemistic) an organ (penis – see usage notes)
*** 1993, Ronny & Ragge (lyrics and music), “Pökpåsen [The rubber]”, in Let's Pök! [Let's Bone!]‎:Det låg en lapp bredvid min lem. Det stod "Mors, jag har stuckit hem". Pökpåsen är min bäste vän, och tack vare den har jag kvar min lem.There was [lay] a note next to my organ [might be the best match for tone here – member sounds a bit too formal even jokingly, and dick a bit too vulgar]. It said, "Ciao, I've gone home." The rubber is my best friend, and thanks to it I still have my organ.

#### Usage notes

Sometimes used in a more colloquial euphemistic sense in (sense 2), where it could also be translated as organ, dick, manhood, or the like.

#### Related terms

* manslem
* medlem

#### See also

* kuk
* läm

### References

* lem in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* lem in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* lem in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
* Fula Ordboken

## Vietnamese
### Alternative forms

* nhem

### Pronunciation

* (Hà Nội) IPA: [lɛm˧˧]
* (Huế) IPA: [lɛm˧˧]
* (Saigon) IPA: [lɛm˧˧]

### Adjective

lem • (淋, 𥋲)
* smudged, soiled
    Cô Bé Lọ Lem ― Cinderella (literally, “The Soot-smeared Girl”)

#### Derived terms

* lấm lem
* lem luốc
* lem nhem (từ láy)

## Volapük
### Noun

lem (nominative plural lems)
* paralysis

#### Declension

$^1$ status as a case is disputed $^2$ in later, non-classical Volapük only

## White Hmong
### Etymology

From Thai เลี้ยว (líao) ("to turn"), with vowel reduction.

### Verb

lem
* to turn (to change direction of travel)
* to change direction when driving