cham: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Obsolete/Very lowArchival/Poetic/Dialectal
Quick answer
What does “cham” mean?
archaic term for a lord or sovereign, historically referring to Central Asian rulers.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
archaic term for a lord or sovereign, historically referring to Central Asian rulers; can be a variant spelling for the act of chewing or biting down.
In contemporary contexts, extremely rare. Might occasionally appear in historical or poetic writing to refer to a khan/emperor, or in technical/dialectal contexts as a variant of 'champ' (to chew noisily).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is obsolete in both varieties. The title sense might marginally appear more in British historical texts. The chewing sense is dialectal and not tied to a specific national standard.
Connotations
Primarily historical or antiquated. No significant modern regional connotations.
Frequency
Effectively zero frequency in contemporary corpora for both varieties.
Grammar
How to Use “cham” in a Sentence
[TITLE] the Cham of [PLACE][SUBJECT] began to cham (on) [OBJECT]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cham” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The old horse would cham on its bit.
American English
- The dog was chammin' on that bone.
adverb
British English
- (Not applicable)
American English
- (Not applicable)
adjective
British English
- (Not applicable)
American English
- (Not applicable)
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Only in specific historical or philological contexts.
Everyday
Not used.
Technical
Not used in modern technical language.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cham”
- Using it in modern contexts; confusing it with 'champ', 'chum', or 'charm'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is an obsolete or highly specialized word that is extremely rare in modern usage.
Its primary historical meaning is a title for a sovereign or khan, similar to 'emperor' in Central Asian contexts.
Yes, but only in dialectal or archaic usage as a variant of 'champ', meaning to chew or bite noisily.
They likely wouldn't for active use. It might be encountered in advanced reading of historical texts or in discussions about literary nicknames (e.g., 'The Great Cham').
archaic term for a lord or sovereign, historically referring to Central Asian rulers.
Cham is usually archival/poetic/dialectal in register.
Cham: in British English it is pronounced /tʃæm/, and in American English it is pronounced /tʃæm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “The Great Cham (a nickname for Samuel Johnson)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'CHAM' as a short form of 'CHAMpion' who rules, or as a 'CHAM' who chews like a 'CHAMp'.
Conceptual Metaphor
POWER IS HEIGHT (as a ruler); CONSUMPTION IS DESTRUCTION (as chewing).
Practice
Quiz
In which context might you encounter the word 'cham'?