damとは

発音

• (英国発音, 米国発音) IPA^(key): /dæm/
• 韻: -æm
• Homophone: damn

語源 1

From Middle English dam, damme, from 古期英語 *dam, *damm (inferred from derivative fordemman (“to hem in”)), from Proto-Germanic *dammaz.

名詞

dam (複数形 dams)

1. A structure placed across a flowing body of water to stop the flow or part of the flow, generally for purposes such as retaining or diverting
   some of the water or retarding the release of accumulated water to avoid abrupt flooding

   A dam is often an essential source of water to farmers of hilly country.

   • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad‎^[1]:

     Nothing could be more business-like than the construction of the stout dams, and nothing more gently rural than the limpid lakes, with the grand old forest trees marshalled round their margins … .

   • 2013 August 16, John Vidal, “Dams endanger ecology of Himalayas”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 10, page 8:

     Most of the Himalayan rivers have been relatively untouched by dams near their sources. Now the two great Asian powers, India and China, are rushing to harness them as they cut through some of the world's deepest valleys.

2. The water reservoir resulting from placing such structure.

   Boats may only be used at places set aside for boating on the dam

3. (dentistry) A device to prevent a tooth from getting wet during dental work, consisting of a rubber sheet held with a band.
4. (South Africa, Australia) A reservoir.
5. A firebrick wall, or a stone, which forms the front of the hearth of a blast furnace.
6. (India) An obsolete Indian copper coin, equal to a fortieth of a rupee.
   • 1839, William Holloway, A General Dictionary of Provincialisms, Written with a View to Rescue from Oblivion the Fast Fading Relics of By-gone Days, Lewes, East Sussex: Sussex Press: Printed and published by Baxter and Son, OCLC 3138091, page 42:

     […] A small Indian coin; whence comes the saying "I don't care a dam for you," that is I don't value you a farthing, and not as generally given, "I don't care a damn" or a "curse for you." [Possibly a folk etymology.]

動詞

dam (三人称単数 現在形 dams, 現在分詞 damming, 過去形および過去分詞形 dammed)

1. To block the flow of water.

参考

• dam on Wikipedia.

語源 2

Variant of dame.

名詞

dam (複数形 dams)

1. Female parent, mother, generally regarding breeding of animals (correlative to sire).
   • Shakespeare

     The dam runs lowing up and down, / Looking the way her harmless young one went.

   • 1603, John Florio, transl.; Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in The Essayes, […], book II, printed at London: By Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     Hunters assure us, that to chuse the best dog, and which they purpose to keepe from out a litter of other young whelps, there is no better meane than the damme herselfe […].

   • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, I:

     she / Resolved that Juan should be quite a paragon, / And worthy of the noblest pedigree / (His sire was from Castile, his dam from Aragon) […].

   • 1974, Lawrence Durrell, Monsieur, Faber & Faber, 1992, p.112:

     The sky was cloudless—the moon rolled across the surface like a lamb searching for its dam.

2. A kind of crowned piece in the game of draughts.

名詞

dam (複数形 dams)

1. A former coin of Nepal, 128 of which were worth one mohar.

Further reading

• Dam in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

アナグラム

• ADM, AMD, Adm., DMA, MAD, MDA, adm., mad