spam
pronunciation
How to pronounce spam in British English:
UK [spæm]
How to pronounce spam in American English:
US [spæm]
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- Noun:
- unwanted e-mail (usually of a commercial nature sent out in bulk)
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- Verb:
- send unwanted or junk e-mail
Word Origin
- spam (n.)
- proprietary name registered by Geo. A. Hormel & Co. in U.S., 1937; probably a conflation of spiced ham. Soon extended to other kinds of canned meat. In the sense of "Internet junk mail" it was coined by Usenet users after March 31, 1993, when Usenet administrator Richard Depew inadvertently posted the same message 200 times to a discussion group. The term had been used in online text games, and ultimately it is from a 1970 sketch on the British TV show "Monty Python's Flying Circus" wherein a reading of a restaurant's menu devolves into endless repetitions of "spam."
Example
- 1. He has ordered up crash projects to tackle internet security and spam .
- 2. The spam that is being sent contains more viruses .
- 3. But now officials in japan have banned spam in a desperate bid to crackdown on the practice .
- 4. Indiscriminate e-mail blasts are considered spam .
- 5. Turkey is also spewing out more spam .