ram
/ɹæm/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.19 in modern English
5
Scrabble Score
3
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
noun
noun
Acronym of relative atomic mass; sometimes styled r.a.m..
noun
noun
name
Initialism of Royal Academy of Music.
name
Example Sentences
- "Looking for the best RAM for your PC in 2023 has gotten a little bit more complicated than before. With the advent of DDR5, you can now choose between a newer standard, and an older one. DDR4 has a differently keyed connector, and you’re also going to have to check that the RAM is compatible with your CPU in the first place. So, what should you buy?"
- "The solid oak door—he fingered it again—was as though made to resist a ram, the walls built to withstand a siege, and every stone and brick in wall, bench, or floor was as immovable as the face of a rock."
- "About a couple of miles out lay an ironclad very low in the water, almost, to my brother's perception, like a water-logged ship. This was the ram Thunder Child."
- "He describes the operation thus: "The heavy ram employed to impart the finishing strokes, hoisted up with double purchase and snail's pace to the summit of the Piling Engine, and then falling down like a thunderbolt on the head of the devoted timber, driving it perhaps a single half inch in to the stratum below, is well calculated to put to the test the virtue of patience, while it illustrates the old adage of—slow and sure.""
- "The man, driving an SUV, then rammed the gate, according to police."
- "A large stone rammed her head"
Etymology
From Middle English ram, rom, ramme, from Old English ramm (“ram”), from Proto-Germanic *rammaz (“ram”), possibly from *rammaz (“strong”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Rom (“ram”), Dutch ram (“a male sheep”), German Ramm, Ramme (“ram”). Possibly akin also to Danish ram (“sharp; acrid; rank”), Swedish ram (“strong; perfect”), Faroese ramur (“strong; competent”), Icelandic rammur (“strong; sturdy”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɹæm/
- British English: /ɹæm/
Usage
- Transitive verb
- Slang
- British usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Astronomy.
Inflected Forms
RAMs (plural)
rams (present, singular)
ramming (participle, present)
rammed (participle, past)
rammed (past)
more ram (comparative)
most ram (superlative)
the Ram (canonical)
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
Synonyms
Homonyms
ram
rhamn