*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of 'm

Contraction of am.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
verb

Am, used especially in I'm. · Various forms of be.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Contraction of am.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "am",
      "am#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Am, used especially in I'm.",
        "Various forms of be."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "clitic",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "5b49d608df4291675603901ff3bb9c81f6dc27baadda8d19a1ac0f287a751f14",
      "rawRecordSha256": "337142298d347a68887910726b341888ba4c4ff3dcef71e326b1d474915b6112",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 225130
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

Represents the word madam or ma'am when used as a formal address of a female; as in yes'm and no'm.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Contraction of madam/ma'am. Typologically compare Russian -с (-s).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "noncog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "-с"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian -с (-s)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "madam",
      "madam#English"
    ],
    [
      "ma'am",
      "ma'am#English"
    ],
    [
      "-с",
      "-с#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Represents the word madam or ma'am when used as a formal address of a female; as in yes'm and no'm."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "663fe4b2eeed3569ac39214cc82dfb0d2bc350f5509ad8a588346b37bd153b7c",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7c411df54a014d0f90722347eb4e32c7b7506ac724179cdf9a2449c4d623cf7e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 225132
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for 'm →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-J20