The word "teem" is spelled with the letters T-E-E-M. Its pronunciation is /tiːm/. The IPA phonetic transcription for "teem" is /tim/. This word means to be full; to be abundant; to swarm. "Teem" is often used to describe natural phenomena such as rainforests that teem with life or rivers that teem with fish. It can also be used figuratively to describe busy places or situations that are overflowing with activity.
Teem is a verb with multiple meanings. The main definition of teem refers to a large or excessive quantity, implying abundance or overflowing. It is often used to describe a situation or place that is filled or swarming with something. For example, a garden teeming with flowers means that the garden is bursting with flowers or heavily populated by them. Similarly, a crowded room teems with people, suggesting a high number of individuals occupying the space.
Another usage of teem relates to the concept of being full or overflowing with a particular quality or condition. For instance, an area teeming with wildlife denotes a location that is rich and abundant in various forms of animal life. It suggests a thriving and diverse ecosystem in which numerous species exist. In this sense, teem also implies a sense of vitality and vibrancy.
Furthermore, teem can describe an action of pouring or moving quickly and forcefully. For example, rain can teem down from the sky, illustrating heavy rainfall that occurs suddenly and in great quantity.
Overall, the term teem embodies the ideas of abundance, overflowing, excessive amount, filledness, and liveliness, often used to depict a place, situation, or condition that is bursting with something or characterized by a significant presence of a particular quality.
To bring forth plenteously; to be fruitful or prolific; to produce in abundance.
Etymological and pronouncing dictionary of the English language. By Stormonth, James, Phelp, P. H. Published 1874.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word "teem" originated from the Old English word "tēman", which meant "to produce offspring" or "to beget". It is also related to the Old Norse word "tjá", which means "to give birth". Over time, the meaning of "teem" expanded to include concepts such as being full or overflowing with something, such as rain, people, or activity. The transition in meaning likely occurred due to the association between abundant offspring or growth and the notion of being filled with something.