herm

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Related to hermae: Hermai

herm

 (hûrm) also her·ma (hûr′mə)
n. pl. herms also her·mae (-mī)
A rectangular, often tapering stone post bearing a carved head or bust, usually of Hermes, used as a boundary marker in ancient Greece and for decorative purposes in later periods.

[Latin hermēs, herma, from Greek hermēs, from Hermēs, Hermes.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

herm

(hɜːm) or

herma

n, pl herms, hermae (ˈhɜːmiː) or hermai (ˈhɜːmaɪ)
(Classical Myth & Legend) (in ancient Greece) a stone head of Hermes surmounting a square stone pillar
[C16: from Latin herma, from Greek hermēs Hermes1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

herm

(hɜrm)

n.
a monument consisting of a four-sided shaft tapering inward from top to bottom and bearing a head or bust.
[1570–80; < Latin hermēs < Greek hermês statue of Hermes]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.herm - a statue consisting of a squared stone pillar with a carved head (usually a bearded Hermes) on topherm - a statue consisting of a squared stone pillar with a carved head (usually a bearded Hermes) on top; used in ancient Greece as a boundary marker or signpost
statue - a sculpture representing a human or animal
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in classic literature ?
The minister, or to speak correctly, des Lupeaulx had invited to dinner on this occasion one of those irremovable officials who, as we have said, are to be found in every ministry; an individual much embarrassed by his own person, who, in his desire to maintain a dignified appearance, was standing erect and rigid on his two legs, held well together like the Greek hermae. This functionary waited near the fireplace to thank the secretary, whose abrupt and unexpected departure from the room disconcerted him at the moment when he was about to turn a compliment.
I ordered barrels of pozzolana ash from Roman volcanoes and mimicked ancient recipes to manufacture hermae, four-sided pillars with the heads and phalli of Hermes.
1, 11-12: "Itaque exhortationibus parcimus: e re tamen erit diligentius persequi quod in Hermae vol.
It contains everything--from the topplers of the Hermae