ream

See also: Ream and réam

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /riːm/

  Rhymes: -iːm

Etymology 1

From Middle English reme, rem, from Old English rēam ‎(“cream”), from Proto-Germanic *raumaz ‎(“cream”), from Proto-Indo-European *rewǝgh- ‎(“to sour [milk]”). Cognate with Dutch room ‎(“cream, sour cream”), German Rahm ‎(“cream”), Norwegian rømme ‎(“sour cream”), Icelandic rjómi ‎(“cream”). See also ramekin.

Alternative forms

• reem, raim

Noun

ream ‎(plural reams)

1. (Britain dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) Cream; also, the creamlike froth on ale or other liquor; froth or foam in general.

Verb

ream ‎(third-person singular simple present reams, present participle reaming, simple past and past participle reamed)

1. (Britain dialectal, Northern England, Scotland) To cream; mantle; foam; froth.
   • Sir Walter Scott

     a huge pewter measuring pot which, in the language of the hostess, reamed with excellent claret

Etymology 2

From Middle English remen, rimen, rümen ‎(“to open up”), from Old English rȳman ‎(“to make roomy, extend, widen, spread, enlarge, amplify, prolong, clear, open up, make clear by removing obstructions, to clear a way”), from Proto-Germanic *rūmijaną ‎(“to make roomy, give room, remove”), from Proto-Indo-European *rowǝ- ‎(“free space”). Cognate with Dutch ruimen ‎(“to empty, evacuate”), German räumen ‎(“to make room”), Icelandic rýma ‎(“to make room, clear”). More at room.

Alternative forms

• reem, rim, rime

Verb

ream ‎(third-person singular simple present reams, present participle reaming, simple past and past participle reamed)

1. To enlarge a hole, especially using a reamer; to bore a hole wider.
2. To shape or form, especially using a reamer.
3. To remove (material) by reaming.
4. To remove burrs and debris from a freshly bored hole.
5. (slang) To yell at or berate.
6. (slang, vulgar) To sexually penetrate in a rough and painful way, by analogy with definition 1.

Translations

to enlarge a hole

• Catalan: barrinar (ca)
• Finnish: avartaa (fi), aarporata
• Polish: rozwiercać, poszerzać (pl)

• Russian: развёртывать (ru) n ‎(razvjórtyvatʹ), рассве́рливать n ‎(rassvérlivatʹ)
• Swedish: brotscha, upprymma

to shape or form, especially using a reamer

• Finnish: aarporata

to remove material by reaming

• Catalan: barrinar (ca)
• Finnish: aarporata

to remove burrs and debris from a freshly bored hole

slang: to yell at or berate

• Finnish: vaahdota (fi), keuhkota

slang: to sexually penetrate in a rough and painful way

• Finnish: survoa

Etymology 3

From Middle English reeme, from Old French raime, rayme ‎(“ream”) (French rame), from Arabic رِزْمَة ‎(rizma, “bundle”).

Alternative forms

• reme

Noun

ream ‎(plural reams)

1. A bundle, package, or quantity of paper, nowadays usually containing 500 sheets.
2. (chiefly in the plural) An abstract large amount of something.

   I can't go – I still have reams of work left.

Translations

bundle of paper

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 令 (zh) ‎(lǐng)

• Czech: rys (cs) m
• Dutch: riem (nl) m
• Finnish: riisi (fi)
• French: rame (fr) f, rame de papier (fr) f
• Galician: resma (gl) f
• Hungarian: rizsma

• Irish: réam m
• Italian: risma
• Polish: ryza (pl) f
• Portuguese: resma (pt)
• Spanish: resma (es) f
• Swedish: ris (sv) n
• Tagalog: resma

abstract large amount

• Finnish: kasa (fi), läjä (fi), tukku (fi)

Coordinate terms

• (quantity of paper): bale, bundle, quire

See also

• Units of paper quantity on Wikipedia.en.Wikipedia:Units of paper quantity

Anagrams

• Amer., amer., Erma, mare

---

Latin

Noun

ream f

1. accusative singular of rea

---

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *raumaz. Cognate with Middle Low German rōm, Middle Dutch room, Old High German roum (German Rahm), Old Norse rjúmi (Icelandic rjómi, Norwegian rømme).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ræːɑm/

Noun

rēam m

1. cream

Descendants

• English: ream

---

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rim/

Noun

ream ‎(uncountable)

1. (food): cream
2. (ointment): cream