verb
clem
klehm
verb
1
(dialect, chiefly northern English) To go hungry or starve.
"In the old mill towns, families would clem through the worst winters."
"He'd rather clem than beg for scraps."
How to Use Clem
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA regional English word meaning to go without food, to be starving.
When to use it
Strongly regional (Lancashire/northern English dialect) and rarely used in standard writing.
Word Forms
clemmed past tense, clems plural, clems singular
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In the old mill towns, families would _____ through the worst winters.
Etymology
From Old English clemman, "to press or squeeze" — the sense narrowed over time to the pinched, hungry feeling of starvation.