English word origin

Etymology of Lem

* As a Dutch and North Germanic surname, shortened from Lambrecht or Lempert. See Lambert. * As a Chinese surname, spelling variant of Lim.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary 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 ↗

name

A surname.

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

* As a Dutch and North Germanic surname, shortened from Lambrecht or Lempert. See Lambert. * As a Chinese surname, spelling variant of Lim.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nl",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "zh",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Chinese"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Lambrecht",
      "Lambrecht#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Lempert",
      "Lempert#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "Lambert",
      "Lambert#English"
    ],
    [
      "Lim",
      "Lim#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "ddcdaf365d4eee672db939fa09dd99a3bc18d81e84dd5fbd2026563dfc55b9bb",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4a77ac327bb0eda20ffb3c5ba4947fc9f74a0e73d535834c82857c540dbe9264",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6688233
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

Clipping of Leamington Spa.

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

Clipping of Leamington Spa.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Leamington Spa"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of Leamington Spa"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Leamington Spa",
      "Leamington Spa#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of Leamington Spa."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "5d99c73bf4d26255b383b94d3888a7817eaccbca963510e757412ded4d35014a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "18460ace9fc7eb188725442e239b1d9a2a1933d2e8fbcf9e8b8a6d154e3f9bd3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6688234
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

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 Lem →

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-TGVt