em

em · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    (typography) A unit of measurement equal to the width of a capital M in the current typeface, or more commonly, equal to the point size of the type.

  2. 2.

    (informal) Them.

  3. 3.

    The letter M.

Forms

plural: ems

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    em dash (—) — a long dash used to mark a break in thought or set off parenthetical information
  • •
    em space — a space the width of one em

Related words

See also: dash, en, typography

Etymology

From the letter M, which was historically used as the standard for measuring type width because in many typefaces, the capital M occupies a square space. In typography, the "em" became standardized as a unit equal to the point size of the type being used.