chereme

[ ker-eem ]
/ ˈkɛr im /

noun Linguistics.

any of a small set of elements, analogous to the phoneme in speech, proposed as the basic structural units by which the signs of a sign language are represented, and including the handshapes, hand movements, and locations of the hands in relation to the body employed in a particular sign language.
Compare allocher.

Origin of chereme

irregular < Greek cheír hand (cf. chiro-) + -eme; coined by U.S. linguist William C. Stokoe (born 1919) in 1960

OTHER WORDS FROM chereme

che·re·mic [kuh-ree-mik, ke-] /kəˈri mɪk, kɛ-/, adjective

Words nearby chereme

chequy, cher, cherbourg, cherchez la femme, cherem, chereme, cheremis, cheremiss, cheremkhovo, cherenkov, cherenkov effect