spam

spam
n.
Unsolicited commercial e-mail messages.
Example Citation:
"A commission appointed by Gov. Jim Gilmore has recommended imposing criminal and civil penalties, including possible jail terms, for sending spam using Internet service providers based in Virginia."
— Matt Richtel, "Virgina Panel Recommends Tough New Penalties on Spam, The New York Times
Notes:
Spam originally meant "flooding a [Usenet] newsgroup with irrelevant or inappropriate messages" (The Jargon File). This original sense derived from the overuse of the word "spam" in a sketch performed by Monty Python's Flying Circus. The sketch begins as follows:
Mr. Bun: Morning.
Waitress: Morning.
Mr. Bun: Well, what you got?
Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg, sausage
and bacon; egg and spam; egg, bacon and spam; egg,
bacon, sausage and spam; spam, bacon, sausage and
spam; spam, egg, spam, spam, bacon and spam; spam,
sausage, spam, spam, spam, bacon, spam, tomato and
spam; spam, spam, spam, egg and spam; (Vikings start
singing in background) spam, spam, spam, spam, spam,
spam, baked beans, spam, spam, spam and spam...
In recent years, the use of "spam" expanded to include unsolicited commercial e-mail. In case you don't know, spam is a luncheon meat consisting of compressed pork shoulder with a bit of ham tossed in. It is produced by Hormel Foods: http://www.hormel.com/ who even have an Official Spam Home Page: http://www.spam.com/.
Related Words: Categories:
Spam

New words. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Spam — originally referred to Spam (food), a canned meat product sold by the Hormel Foods Corporation. Since then, many other uses of the term have emerged. * Spam (Monty Python), a Monty Python comedy sketch. The Spam in the sketch refers specifically… …   Wikipedia

  • Spam — /spam/, n., v., spammed, spamming. 1. Trademark. a canned food product consisting esp. of pork formed into a solid block. n. 2. (l.c.) a disruptive message posted on a computer network. v.t. 3. (l.c.) to send spam to. v.i. 4. (l.c.) to send spam …   Universalium

  • SPAM — steht für: Dosenfleisch der Firma Hormel Foods Inc., siehe Spam (Lebensmittel) Spam, im Sinne von massenhaftem Versand von elektronischen Nachrichten Spam Sketch Fliegendes Spaghettimonster, The Spaghetti Pulsar Activating Meatballs, die Gottheit …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Spam — 419 scam address munging bacn disk spamming e mail hygiene empty spam glurge ham …   New words

  • spam — n. Unsolicited emails sent to large numbers of email addresses in the hope of enticing some readers to respond. The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008. spam …   Law dictionary

  • Spam — son mensajes electrónicos (habitualmente de tipo publicitario) no solicitados enviados en cantidades masivas. Aunque se puede hacer por distintas vías, la más utilizada entre el público en general es la basada en el correo electrónico. Otras… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Spam — [spæm] das; s, s <aus gleichbed. engl. amerik. spam, urspr. Spam®, Kurzw. für »spiced ham«. Der Name des Büchsenfleischs wurde von US Soldaten des 2. Weltkrieges später abwertend gebraucht für etwas, was man nicht leiden kann. >: a) zu… …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • Spam — Spam; spam; spam·mer; …   English syllables

  • spam — [spam] n. [prob. ult. < SPAM] Comput. unsolicited e mail, often advertisements, sent out over a computer network to many addresses, usually indiscriminately vt., vi. spammed, spamming to send such e mail to (a user or users) …   English World dictionary

  • Spam® — /spam/ noun A type of luncheon meat made from pork, spices, etc ORIGIN: Spiced ham • • • spammˈy adjective 1. Tasting of, containing or like spam or luncheon meat 2. Loosely, bland, unexciting, corny (informal) …   Useful english dictionary

  • 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… …   Etymology dictionary

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