English

Proper noun

Ream

1. A surname​.

English

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

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

Coordinate terms

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

See also

• Units of paper quantity on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

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

Noun

rēam m

1. cream

Descendants

• English: ream

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /rim/

Noun

ream ‎(uncountable)

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