spam
spam Lexical Profile
spam Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Irrelevant or unsolicited messages sent over the Internet, typically to a large number of users, for the purpose of advertising, phishing, or spreading malware.
"Her inbox was flooded with spam promoting questionable weight-loss supplements."
A canned meat product made mainly from cooked pork and ham.
"For breakfast, they prepared a popular local dish featuring fried rice and slices of spam."
• verb
To send unsolicited and unwanted digital messages indiscriminately to a large number of recipients.
"The marketing company was heavily penalized after it spammed thousands of email addresses with aggressive promotional offers."
To repeatedly use the same action, attack, or item in quick succession (especially in video games).
"The player frustrated his opponent by spamming the same low kick attack throughout the entire match."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to the canned meat product, the word is typically capitalized as a trademark (SPAM), whereas the computing term for unwanted messages is written in lowercase.
• Rhymes for spam
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in 1937 as a trademark for a canned meat product, likely a portmanteau of 'spiced ham'. Its computing sense (junk email) originated in the 1980s, inspired by a famous 1970 Monty Python sketch in which the word 'spam' is sung repeatedly in a cafe, drowning out all other conversation.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.