What does eme mean?
An eme is an uncle — specifically, in its earliest use, the brother of one's mother. The word belongs chiefly to Scottish and Northern English dialect and is now considered archaic, having been displaced in standard English by 'uncle', which arrived via Old French from Latin. In the periods when it was current, eme was the ordinary everyday term for this family relation, appearing in Middle and Early Modern English texts alongside related kinship vocabulary such as 'eme's wife' for an aunt by marriage. Today it survives mainly in Scots speech, older literature, and dialect records, where it lends a distinctly northern or antiquarian character to the text. For readers of historical documents or Scottish writing, recognizing eme can clarify genealogical references that would otherwise be puzzling, making it a small but genuinely useful word for anyone interested in the history of English kinship terms.
nounAn uncle, especially one's mother's brother. A chiefly Scottish and dialectal word now largely obsolete in standard English.
- An uncle, especially a mother's brother (chiefly Scottish and dialectal, now archaic)
"The young lad was raised by his eme after his father's death."
"His eme taught him to fish on the loch every summer."
"In the old parish records, the boy is listed as living with his eme and aunt."
Regular plural; rarely encountered given the word's archaic status.
"Both of his emes were farmers in Aberdeenshire."
Before English settled on 'uncle' — a word borrowed from French — speakers called their mother's brother an 'eme', a word that still survives in Scots.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eme
Eme descends from Old English ēam, meaning maternal uncle. It is a genuine Germanic inheritance rather than a borrowing, cognate with Old High German ōheim (modern German Oheim), which shares the same underlying root as 'home'. The word was gradually supplanted by 'uncle', a French loanword adopted into Middle English, though it persisted in Scots and regional dialect long after it faded from standard usage.
How eme is actually used
The word is archaic in standard modern English but retains some currency in Scots and Northern English dialect. It carries an antique, regional flavor and would be used mainly for historical or literary effect.
Easily confused with eme
Em is a printer's unit of measurement equal to the point size of the type, whereas eme is a dialectal word for uncle.