Ham
/hæm/noun
The cured meat from the hind leg of a pig.
Did you know?Ham comes from an old Germanic word for the bent part of the leg, which is why it’s historically tied to the same body-zone root as hamstring and hock.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hamma-
“the bent part of the leg, hock”
Old English
OE
ham
“the back of the knee, hock; also the thigh or hind part”
Middle English
ME
ham
“the hock or thigh of an animal”
14th Century
English
ham
“the cured hind leg of pork”
Modern English
English
ham
“the cured meat from a pig's hind leg”