pram
/pɹæm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.77 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A small vehicle, usually covered, in which a newborn baby is pushed around in a lying position.
British usage
noun
A flat-bottomed barge used on shallow shores to convey cargo to and from ships that cannot enter the harbour.
British usage
noun
A similar barge used as platform for cannons in shallow waters which seagoing warships cannot enter.
British usage
noun
Example Sentences
- "Janet Bird née Ollerenshaw was pushing her pram along Tockley High Street."
- "For a start the pram was heavier than it appeared, and also they were pulling it along very uneven ground. The edge of the field was slightly banked which tilted the pram at an angle."
- "Stepping over her, he unbuttoned the pram′s apron and pulled it back. At first he couldn′t make out what the pram contained. He had to crane himself over, holding his body back from the obscuring light. The pram was full of groceries—cabbage, sprouts, potatoes."
- "The Key Train Requirements document, released in July by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), includes a new clause covering people travelling with pushchairs. It highlights the need for space in carriages for unfolded pushchairs or prams, separate from areas for wheelchairs and cycles. It also recommends extending seat reservations to include pram spaces."
- "Although the pram, like the johnboat, has a squared-off bow as well as stern, the bow lines on the pram will be narrower than those encountered on a johnboat."
- "Nothing can beat the simple pleasure of paddling a pram around on a foggy dawn, probing pad flats, stumps and fallen logs for lurking bass."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per-der. Proto-Italic *peri- Latin per- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ent- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂énts? Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰíder. Proto-Italic *amβi- Latin ambi- Proto-Indo-European *h₂elh₂-der. Proto-Italic *alō Latin *alō Latin ambulō Latin perambulō Latin perambulātusbor. English perambulate Proto-Indo-European *-tōr Proto-Italic *-tōr Latin -tor Latin -ātor Old French -eorbor. Middle English -our ▲ Latin -torlbor. English -or English perambulatorclip. English pram Clipping of perambulator.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /pɹæm/
Usage
- British usage
- Colloquial