Link Centre Dictionary

em

UK/ɛ(ː)m/ US/ˈɛm/ very common

noun

1.

the square of a body of any size of type

Synonyms
2.

a linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing

Synonyms

Origin

Attested since 1808. In typography, the em is named after the em quadrat (later called em quad), from m quadrat, a metal type used in letterpress typesetting, which is as wide as the point size of the font.

Phrases

  • 3-em space
  • 3-to-the-em space
  • 5-em space
  • 5-to-the-em space
  • em dash
  • em quad
  • em rule
  • em space

Related words

Broader terms

Parts

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.