I. ˈsēm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English sem, seem, from Old English sēam; akin to Middle Dutch soom load of a pack animal, Middle Low German sōm, Old High German soum; all from a prehistoric West Germanic word borrowed from (assumed) Vulgar Latin sauma packsaddle (whence Medieval Latin sauma ), from Late Latin sagma — more at sumpter
1. dialect chiefly England : the amount borne by a beast of burden ; especially : a suitable or standard load for a packhorse
2. dialect chiefly England : any of various units of weight or capacity based on a standard load for a packhorse
a seam of grain is usually eight bushels
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English sem, seem, from Old English sēam; akin to Old Frisian sām hem, seam, Middle Dutch soom, Middle Low German sōm, Old High German soum, Old Norse saumr seam, Old English sīwian to sew — more at sew
1.
a. : a joining by a line of stitching of two pieces of cloth, leather, or other material usually near the edge
you must sew more evenly, your seam is all bumpy
— see flat-fell seam , french seam
b. : the line of stitching used in making such a joining
c. : material between the line of stitching and the outer edges of the cloth that is usually turned to the inside of an article
d. : the slightly-indented line on the outside of an article formed when the joining is pressed open or flat
e. : an imitation joining ; especially : one made in a single piece of material by a full-length tuck on the wrong side or a line of purl or pattern stitches in a knit garment
2. : a crevice or interstice where edges (as of planks or plates) abut ; especially : the space between adjacent planks or strakes of a ship — usually used in plural
the heavy seas opened her seams
3. : a line of junction (as between metals or plastics) : a line, groove, ridge, or other mark formed by the abutment of edges
seams in brickwork
as
a. : suture
b. : a thin layer or stratum (as of rock) between distinctive layers ; also : a bed of coal or other valuable mineral of any thickness
c. : a line left by a cut or wound ; also : wrinkle
4. : a surface defect of limited length in iron or steel caused by a blowhole made visible by working
III. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
transitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to join (pieces of cloth or other material) by stitching
seam two lengths of carpet together
(2) : to make the seams of (as a garment)
seam up a dress
(3) : to decorate or finish (an article) at the seam or seams or with ornamental seams
seam a slip with faggoting
stitched and seamed the shoes
b. : to join as if by sewing (as by the use of welding, riveting, or heat-sealing)
2. : to mark (a surface) with lines suggesting seams : line , furrow , scar
a face seamed with saber cuts
creeks seam the valley
intransitive verb
: to become fissured or ridgy : crack open
land drying and seaming in the heat
IV.
variant of saim