spam

== English == === Alternative forms === Spam, SPAM === Etymology === The original sense (canned ham) is a proprietary name registered by Geo. A. Hormel & Co. in U.S., 1937. It is presumed to be a conflation of either "spiced ham" or "shoulder of pork and ham" but was soon extended to other kinds of canned meat. Hormel spells the trademarked name in all upper case. The use for unsolicited and unwanted email derives from a Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch. In the 1970 sketch, a group of Vikings in a restaurant repeatedly chant the word "spam". The earliest recorded real-life use for this sense occurs around 1993 which finds reference in a newsgroup post dated March 31, 1993, but the term may have been in use on "Multi-User Dungeons" (MUDs) in the 1980s. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈspæm/ also (æ-raising) IPA(key): [ˈspeəm] Rhymes: -æm === Noun === spam (countable and uncountable, plural spams) (uncountable, rarely countable, computing, Internet) Unsolicited bulk electronic messages. Synonym: junk mail Antonym: ham Coordinate term: bacn (uncountable, computing, Internet) Any undesired electronic content automatically generated for commercial purposes. Long title, Spam Control Act (Cap. 311A, R. Ed. 2008) An Act to provide for the control of spam, which is unsolicited commercial communications sent in bulk by electronic mail or by text or multi-media messaging to mobile telephone numbers, and to provide for matters connected therewith. (Internet) Excessive, often unwanted and repeated online messages. (Internet) Ellipsis of spam account. (by extension, often video games) A large quantity or multitude of anything done repetitively or considered unusually or indiscriminately repetitive. A type of tinned meat made mainly from ham. ==== Hyponyms ==== ==== Meronyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === Verb === spam (third-person singular simple present spams, present participle spamming, simple past and past participle spammed) (intransitive, computing, Internet) To send spam (i.e. unsolicited electronic messages.) (transitive, computing, Internet) To send spam (i.e. unsolicited electronic messages) to a person or entity. (transitive, intransitive, computing, Internet) To send messages repeatedly, often with disruptive effect; to flood. (transitive, by extension, computing, video games) To do something rapidly and repeatedly. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also === Spamming on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Official SPAM home page === References === === Anagrams === AMPS, APMs, MAPs, MPAs, amps, maps, pams, sAMP, samp == Danish == === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from English spam. ==== Noun ==== spam (genitive spams) (computing, Internet) Spam. === Etymology 2 === See spamme. ==== Verb ==== spam imperative of spamme == Dutch == === Pronunciation === (Belgium) IPA(key): /spɑm/ (Netherlands) IPA(key): /spɛm/ Hyphenation: spam === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from English spam. ==== Noun ==== spam m (uncountable, no diminutive) spam (undesired electronic content) === Etymology 2 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Verb ==== spam inflection of spammen: first-person singular present indicative (in case of inversion) second-person singular present indicative imperative == French == === Etymology === Borrowed from English spam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /spam/ === Noun === spam m (plural spams) spam (meat) (computing, Internet) spam ==== Synonyms ==== (unsolicited email): pourriel, courriel indésirable == Hungarian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English spam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈspɛm] Rhymes: -ɛm === Noun === spam (plural spamek) (computing, Internet) spam ==== Declension ==== == Interlingua == === Noun === spam (plural spams) (computing, Internet) spam == Italian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English spam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈspam/ Rhymes: -am Hyphenation: spàm === Noun === spam m (invariable) (Internet) spam ==== Related terms ==== spamming spammare (“to spam”) == Polish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English spam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈspam/ Rhymes: -am Syllabification: spam === Noun === spam m inan (computing, Internet) spam (unsolicited bulk electronic messages) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “spam”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎[6] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN “spam”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎[7] (in Polish) == Portuguese == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English spam. === Pronunciation === === Noun === spam m (uncountable) (computing, Internet) spam === Further reading === “spam”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “spam”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Alternative forms === спам (spam) — post-1930s Cyrillic spelling === Etymology === Borrowed from English spam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈspam/ Rhymes: -am Hyphenation: spam === Noun === spam n (plural spamuri) (computing, Internet) spam ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “spam”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026 == Slovene == === Etymology === Borrowed from English spam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /spɛ́ːm/ === Noun === spȃm m inan (Internet) spam (unwanted messages) ==== Alternative forms ==== spȇm == Spanish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English spam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈspam/ [ˈspãm], /esˈpam/ [esˈpãm] Rhymes: -am Syllabification: spam === Noun === spam m (plural spams) (computing) spam Synonym: correo basura ==== Usage notes ==== According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “spam”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 “spam”, in Diccionario de americanismos [Dictionary of Americanisms] (in Spanish), Association of Academies of the Spanish Language [Spanish: Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española], 2010 == Swedish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English spam. Earliest attested in 1997. === Noun === spam n spam (unsolicited electronic messages) Synonym: skräppost ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== spammare spamfilter === References === “spam”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) == Turkish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English spam. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [spam] Hyphenation: spam === Noun === spam (definite accusative spamı, plural spamlar) (computing, Internet) spam Synonym: yığın mesaj ==== Usage notes ==== As the word starts with two consonants, some Turkish people will have difficulties to spell it correctly. It may be spelled also sıpam. ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== spamlamak ==== Further reading ==== “spam”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu == Vietnamese == === Etymology === Borrowed from English spam. === Pronunciation === (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [spam˧˧] (Huế) IPA(key): [spam˧˧] (Saigon) IPA(key): [spam˧˧] Phonetic spelling: xpăm === Noun === spam (computing, Internet) spam