Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps < the same Germanic base as rough v.¹

Etymology: Cognate with Middle Dutch roem, room, rōme (Dutch room), Middle Low German rōm, rōme, Old High German roum (Middle High German roum, German regional Raum, German Rahm), and also (with a different ablaut grade) Old Icelandic rjúmi, Norwegian rømme, Swedish regional römme, råm; further etymology unknown.

Etymology: Probably partly < Anglo-Norman and Middle French raime, rayme, rame (second half of the 14th cent.; 13th cent. in Old French as ries), reme (1427–30), remme, rime, reyme, riesme (second half of the 15th cent.), ryme (1553; French rame), and partly < Middle Dutch rieme (1384; Dutch riem), both ultimately < Arabic rizma, †razma bale or bundle (of clothes, paper, etc.). Compare Middle Low German rīm, riem, Middle High German ris, riz, rist (14th cent.; German Ries; in 16th cent. also †reisz; < Latin or Italian), Swedish ris (1536; < Middle Low German or German), Danish ris ( < Middle Low German or German). Compare also Catalan raima (late 13th cent.; probably < Arabic razma), Spanish resma (second half of the 15th cent.; also †rezma), Portuguese resma (1720; 1431 as arrezema), Italian risma (14th cent.), post-classical Latin risma (from 1334).The immediate source of the Dutch word is unclear. In form realme in the 16th cent. by confusion with realm n. It is unclear whether the following examples show the Middle English or the Anglo-Norman word:1356 in M. T. Löfvenberg Contrib. Middle Eng. Lexicogr. & Etymol. (1946) 62 [Two] reem [and five quires of paper].1393 in L. T. Smith Exped. Prussia & Holy Land Earl Derby (1894) 154 Pro j rem papiri, viij s.1411 Close Roll 12 Hen. IV [Licence..to export from England to Ireland, one] ‘Reme de papiro’.1473–4 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 645 Pro di. rym et 3 quaternis papiri empt., 2 s. 7 d.1507–8 in J. T. Fowler Extracts Acct. Rolls Abbey of Durham (1901) III. 659 In ij Rymez papiri empt. In early use (in sense 1a) frequently unchanged in the plural following a cardinal number (a common feature of words denoting units of quantity, etc.; compare quire n. 2a).

Etymology: Origin uncertain.This word has been explained as a variant of rum adj.¹, although the vowel sound would be difficult to account for. It has alternatively been suggested that it may represent figurative use of ream n.² (compare e.g. cream n.² 3). However, neither suggestion would account particularly well for the original sense ‘genuine’, which might suggest a connection with real adj.²

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps the reflex of Old English *rǣman (unattested as a simplex; however, compare arǣman to raise), of uncertain origin. Perhaps compare also ream v.⁴The regional distribution of this word (chiefly south-western, with northern examples at 2b) is difficult to explain.

Etymology: Origin unknown.Found only in Laȝamon, usually in collocation with or as a textual variant of ræsen rese v.²

Etymology: < ream n.² With sense 2 compare earlier reaming dish n.

Etymology: Origin uncertain: perhaps originally a spec. sense of rime v.² (see forms at that entry). Compare ream v.¹ Earlier currency is apparently implied by reaming n.