em Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a quad with a square body
    em quad; mutton quad.
    • since `em quad' is hard to distinguish from `en quad', printers sometimes called it a `mutton quad'
  2. noun a linear unit (1/6 inch) used in printing
    pica em; pica.

WordNet


Em noun
Definitions
  1. (Print.) The portion of a line formerly occupied by the letter m, then a square type, used as a unit by which to measure the amount of printed matter on a page; the square of the body of a type.

Webster 1913