Chelm

See also: chelm and Chełm

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Polish Chełm. Doublet of holm.

Pronunciation

• (Jewish) IPA^(key): [χɛlm]
• Rhymes: -ɛlm

Proper noun

Chelm

1. A city in Poland, known for the Jewish stories about its (mythical) stupid residents.
   • 1999, Martha Blum, The Walnut Tree‎^[1], Coteau, →ISBN, page 100:

     The fool I am, the fool. A citizen of Chelm, an idiot, one of those characters my grandfather's legends are made of.

   • 2010 January 27, "nordicskiv2" <David.L.Webb@Dartmouth.edu>, "Re: HELMsman", message-ID <6dd30c30-f7a7-4c45-b737-bf2cf44c9e49@l19g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>, humanities.lit.authors.shakespeare, Usenet [2]:

     You are the quintessential Chelmsman, Art -- indeed, you are the prince of the Sages of Chelm.

Translations

city in Poland

• Belarusian: Хэлм (Xelm), Холм (Xolm)
• Polish: Chełm (pl)
• Portuguese: Kulm f, Chelm f
• Russian: Хелм (Xelm)
• Ukrainian: Холм (Xolm)
• Yiddish: כעלעם (khelem)

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Polish Chełm.

Proper noun

Chelm f

1. Chelm (a city in Poland)

   Synonym: Kulm