Definition of: ham

An amateur radio operator. The term's origin is uncertain, but most likely came from early, pre-radio days, when Morse-code operators were referred to as "ham-fisted" and called "hams." Anecdote places the origin as the first initials of "Hertz," "Ampere" and "Marconi," the originators of radio technology, but the term was used before Marconi's time. See amateur radio.