Meaning & use
herm
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Meanings
nouncountablespecialist
A rectangular stone post topped with a sculpted head, typically of Hermes, set up in ancient Greece beside roads, doorways and property lines.
Grammar: Has a plural: one herm, several herms.
Patterns
- a herm of someone
- a herm at something
The travelers touched the herm at the crossroads for luck before heading into the hills.
A weathered herm stood beside the gate, its bearded face worn almost smooth.
Museum staff cleaned the marble herm before placing it in the Greek gallery.
nouncountablespecialist
A similar post-and-head sculpture used later as a garden ornament or as a base for a portrait bust.
Grammar: Often used in descriptions of classical gardens and art.
Patterns
- a garden herm
The villa's terrace was lined with stone herms in the Renaissance style.
The sculptor carved a herm to honor the poet in the park.
Visitors photographed the herm half hidden among the hedges.
Word forms
| plural | herms |
|---|
Common combinations
- marble herm
- A marble herm greeted guests at the entrance of the villa.
- carve a herm
- The mason spent a month learning to carve a herm.
- herm of Hermes
- The herm of Hermes marked the edge of the market square.
- mutilation of the herms
- The mutilation of the herms shocked Athens in 415 BC.
- boundary herm
- A boundary herm told travelers they were leaving the city's land.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pillar
- Pillar is a general word for any upright support, while a herm is specifically a pillar with a carved head on top.
- bust
- A bust shows only a head and shoulders and can stand on any base, whereas a herm's post is part of the sculpture itself.
- column
- A column is usually round and structural, whereas a herm is square-sided and mainly symbolic or decorative.
Word family
Commonly confused: herm or hermit? herm or germ?
herm vs hermit
A hermit is a person who lives alone, apart from society; a herm is a stone sculpture and has nothing to do with solitude.
herm vs germ
A germ is a microorganism; herm has an h and is pronounced like the start of 'Herman'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'herm' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A herm is a stone post with a carved head, so it can stand at a crossroads. The other options treat it as a person, a jewel or a hermit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “herm”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.