Mem

Mem, also spelled Meem, Meme, or Mim, is the thirteenth letter of the Semitic abjads. This includes the Hebrew mēm מ‎, Aramaic mem 𐡌, Syriac mīm ܡ, Arabic mīm م‎, and Phoenician mēm 𐤌. The sound value of Mem is m.

The Phoenician letter Mem later influenced many other writing systems. It gave rise to the Greek mu (Μ), the Etruscan letter, the Latin M, and the Cyrillic М. Mem is also connected to the Ancient North Arabian 𐪃‎‎‎, the South Arabian 𐩣, and the Ge'ez መ.

Origins

Mem likely began as an Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for water.

It was made simpler in the Proto-Sinaitic script and named after the West Semitic word for "water", mem. This word is similar to the Biblical Hebrew word maym (מַיִם), meaning "water". The word comes from Proto-Semitic *may-.

Arabic mīm

The letter mīm is an important letter in the Arabic alphabet. It looks different depending on where it is in a word.

In Modern Standard Arabic, mīm helps make special kinds of words. These include nouns and adjectives. It is also used to create names for subjects and objects in different verb forms. For example, place-names like maktab meaning "office" and maṣnaʿ meaning "factory" use mīm.

Hebrew mem

Hebrew spelling: מֵם

Hebrew pronunciation

Mem makes the sound m.

Variations on written form/pronunciation

In Hebrew, Mem, like Kaph, Nun, Pe, and Tzadi, has a special shape at the end of words: it changes from מ‎ to ם‎.

Significance

In gematria, Mem stands for the number 40. The special ending form of Mem, called mem sofit, has a value of 40 in one way of counting and 600 in another.

In the Sefer Yetzirah, Mem is linked to water, earth, cold, and the belly.

As a short word, it can mean metre. In the Israeli army it can also mean mefaked, commander. In religious texts, it can stand for the name of God Makom, the Place.

Mem and Tarot

Mem is connected to The Hanged Man (Atu XII), the element of water, and a path on the Tree of Life.

Syriac mim

The letter "mim" is a key letter in the Syriac alphabet. It makes the "m" sound, like in many old writing systems. Syriac is a language still used in parts of the Middle East, and mim is one of its basic letters.

Character encodings

The letter "Mem" is found in many ancient writing systems. It is the thirteenth letter in several languages with similar alphabets, such as Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, Arabic, and Phoenician. In all these languages, Mem makes the "m" sound. It is also linked to older writing systems from places like North Arabia, South Arabia, and Ge'ez.