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| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: |
1TIM a line where two pieces of cloth, leather etc have been stitched together : 
She was repairing Billy's trousers, where the seam had come undone.Join the shoulder seams together.
She was repairing Billy's trousers, where the seam had come undone.Join the shoulder seams together.3
be coming/falling apart at the seams
a) if a plan, organization etc is coming apart at the seams, so many things are going wrong with it that it will probably fail : The health service seems to be falling apart at the seams.
The health service seems to be falling apart at the seams.b) if a piece of clothing is coming apart at the seams, the stitches on it are coming unfastened
4 if a room or building is bursting at the seams, it is so full of people that hardly anyone else can fit into it
be bursting/bulging at the seams
5 a thing, place, or group from which a type of thing can be obtained : The 466-page book is a rich seam of statistical information.
a (rich) seam of something
The 466-page book is a rich seam of statistical information.6 a line where two pieces of metal, wood etc have been joined together
