ramal

English

Etymology

From ramus +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹeɪməl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Adjective

ramal (not comparable)

1. (botany) Relating to a branch.
2. (anatomy, dated) Of or pertaining to a ramus, or branching
   • 1890, R.W. Shufeldt, “Osteophysiology of Arctic and Subarctic Water-Birds”, in Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, volume 24, page 98:

     Between the ramal walls above this the bone is longitudinally scooped out to the upper termination of the symphysis.

Derived terms

• interramal
• intraramal

Anagrams

• LRAAM, Lamar, Marla, alarm, malar, marla

Catalan

Etymology

From ram +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [rəˈmal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [raˈmal]

Noun

ramal m (plural ramals)

1. halter
2. branch
3. (rail transport) branch line

Further reading

• “ramal”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “ramal”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “ramal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “ramal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Indonesian

Etymology 1

From Malay ramal, from Classical Malay ramal, from Arabic رَمْل (raml, “sand”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ramal/
• Rhymes: -amal, -mal, -al

Noun

ramal (plural ramal-ramal)

1. (obsolete) sand
2. (obsolete) the sand used in fortunetelling

Synonyms

• (sand): pasir

Verb

ramal

1. (colloquial) to divine

Derived terms

• meramal
• meramalkan
• peramalan
• ramalan
• tukang ramal

Etymology 2

From Malay ramal, from Classical Malay ramal (“handkerchief”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ramal/
• Rhymes: -amal, -mal, -al

Noun

ramal (plural ramal-ramal)

1. (obsolete) handkerchief

   Synonym: saputangan

Malay

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Verb

ramal

1. to predict

Derived terms

• peramal
• ramalan

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Arabic رَمْل (raml).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ramal/
• Rhymes: -amal, -mal, -al

Noun

ramal (Jawi spelling رامل, plural ramal-ramal or ramal²)

1. sand (finely ground rock)

Synonyms

• pasir / ڤاسير

Descendants

• Indonesian: ramal

Maltese

Root
r-m-l
12 terms

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈra.mal/
• Rhymes: -amal

Noun

ramal m (plural irmla or rmiel)

1. alternative form of ramel: sand

Portuguese

Etymology

From ramo +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁaˈmaw/ [haˈmaʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ʁaˈmaw/ [haˈmaʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ʁaˈmaw/ [χaˈmaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐˈmal/ [ʁɐˈmaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐˈmal/ [ʁɐˈmaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ʁɐˈma.li/

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: ra‧mal

Noun

ramal m (plural ramais)

1. branch (part that divides like the branch of a tree)
   1. (rail transport) branch line
   2. (Brazil) each telephone number of a private network

Further reading

• “ramal”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “ramal”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

From ramo +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /raˈmal/ [raˈmal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ra‧mal

Noun

ramal m (plural ramales)

1. exit (of a highway or road)
2. branch (of an organization)
3. (rail transport) branch line
4. halter (of horse)

Related terms

• rama
• ramalazo

Further reading

• “ramal”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025