ream

C2+ Topic:Numbers & Quantity

US /rim/ UK /riːm/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like leam /l/ vs /r/

noun verb

Meanings

1

noun
a quantity of paper (typically 500 sheets); to enlarge a hole by reaming

She fed another ream of paper into the printer.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a quantity of paper... quire bundle stack sheaf mass

Word family

Derived forms reamer

Etymology

The 'quantity of paper' sense is from Middle English reme, via Old French and Spanish from Arabic rizma ('bale, bundle'). The 'enlarge a hole' sense is of obscure origin, perhaps related to Old English ryman ('to widen').

rizma Arabic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Numbers & Quantity

# ream

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** rim
**IPA (UK):** riːm

## Meanings
1. a quantity of paper (typically 500 sheets); to enlarge a hole by reaming

## Examples
- She fed another ream of paper into the printer.

## Synonyms
- quire
- bundle
- stack
- sheaf
- mass

## Derived Forms
- reamer

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: rizma

## Etymology
The 'quantity of paper' sense is from Middle English reme, via Old French and Spanish from Arabic rizma ('bale, bundle'). The 'enlarge a hole' sense is of obscure origin, perhaps related to Old English ryman ('to widen').

## AI Etymology
Ream has a divided etymological history: The 'quantity of paper' sense is from Middle English reme, via Old French and Spanish from Arabic rizma ('bale, bundle'). The 'enlarge a hole' sense is of obscure origin, perhaps related to Old English ryman ('to widen'). The historical chain includes Arabic rizma. Older glosses in the chain include "quantity of paper", "bale, bundle", "enlarge a hole", and "to widen", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, ream is best read as borrowing and uncertain formation, yielding an English noun and verb shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun and verb, with the sense "a quantity of paper (typically 500 sheets); to enlarge a hole by reaming". English derivatives include reamer. The result is an English noun and verb whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Numbers & Quantity

markdown

ream

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback