am

verb

first person singular present of be.

symbol

the chemical element americium.

1. amplitude modulation.
2. Hymns Ancient and Modern.
3. Master of Arts.
4. Member of the Order of Australia.

noun

an Assembly Member (i.e. a Member of the Welsh Assembly).

1. before noon (used after times of day between midnight and noon that are not expressed using the 24-hour clock).

   the aircraft departed at 8 a.m. local time

from Latin ante meridiem .

noun, symbol

the chemical element of atomic number 95, a radioactive metal of the actinide series. Americium does not occur naturally and was first made by bombarding plutonium with neutrons.

1940s: from America (where it was first made) + -ium.

noun

the modulation of a wave by varying its amplitude, used especially as a means of broadcasting an audio signal by combining it with a radio carrier wave.

1. exist.

   there are no easy answers

   there once was a man

   there must be something wrong

   I think, therefore I am

2. occur; take place.

   the exhibition will be in November

   the opening event is on October 16

   that was before the war

3. having the state, quality, identity, nature, role, etc., specified.

   Amy was 91

   the floor was uneven

   I want to be a teacher

   father was not well

   it will be Christmas soon

   ‘Be careful,’ Mr Carter said

4. say.

   last time I saw her she was all ‘You need to quit smoking!’

1. used with a present participle to form continuous tenses.

   they are coming

   he had been reading

   she will be waiting

2. used with a past participle to form the passive voice.

   it was done

   it is said

   his book will be published

3. used to indicate something that is due or destined to happen.

   construction is to begin next summer

   his mum was never to see him win

4. used with the past participle of intransitive verbs to form perfect tenses.

   I am returned

Old English bēon, an irregular and defective verb, whose full conjugation derives from several originally distinct verbs. The forms am and is are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin sum and est . The forms was and were are from an Indo-European root meaning ‘remain’. The forms be and been are from an Indo-European root shared by Latin fui ‘I was’, fio ‘I become’, and Greek phuein ‘bring forth, cause to grow’. The origin of are is uncertain.