A Seam Is Where Two Things Are Joined
A seam is a line where edges meet. In mining it names a layer of coal or ore.
A seam is the line where two pieces of fabric are sewn together, and in geology a layer of coal or mineral between other rocks. The mining sense borrows the tailor's image exactly: a coal seam is a thin stratum sandwiched between thicker layers, looking like a join in the rock face. From that comes *seam* for any thin productive layer, and *to mine out a seam*. *Seam* is Old English *seam*, from the same root as *sew*, and it gives *seamless*, meaning so smoothly joined that no join shows.
- A sewn join. *The seam split.*
- A rock layer. *A coal seam.*
- A junction. *The seam between panels.*
- Seamless — without a join. *Seamless.*
- Old English — *seam*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | seam | A seam. |
| Plural | seams | Seams. |
| Adjective | seamless | Seamless. |
| Agent | seamstress | A seamstress. |
| Related | sew | To sew. |
- The seam came undone.Sewing.
- They worked a coal seam.Mining.
- Bursting at the seams.Idiom.
Seam phrases
- Bursting at the seams — overfull
- Coming apart at the seams — falling apart
- Seamless — perfectly smooth, no join visible
- Seamy side — the rough inside of a garment, hence the sordid side
- Seam bowling — in cricket, using the ball's stitched ridge
Old English *seam*, of Germanic origin, from the same root as *sew*.
Why is a coal layer called a seam?
Because a thin stratum between thicker rocks looks like a join, exactly as a sewn seam does in cloth.
What does the seamy side mean?
The rough inner side of a garment where the seams show, used figuratively for the sordid aspect of something.