ramie

[ ram-ee, rey-mee ]

/ ˈræm i, ˈreɪ mi /

noun

an Asian shrub, Boehmeria nivea, of the nettle family, yielding a fiber used especially in making textiles.

the fiber itself.

Nearby words

ramentum, ramequin, rameses, ramet, rami, ramie, ramification, ramiform, ramify, ramillies, ramisection

Origin of ramie

First recorded in 1810–20, ramie is from the Malay word rami a kind of grass

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ramie

Rhea which is also known under the name of ramie, is a textile plant which was indigenous to China and India.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 417|Various
Other well-known plants of this class are ramie, aloe, “sunn hemp,” manila.
The Manufacture of Paper|Robert Walter Sindall
In southern China there is produced a kind of very fine linen in the form of ramie, known as China-grass.
The International Development of China|Sun Yat-sen
He probably confounded the yucca with the ramie plant of the East, of which grass cloth is made.
The Beginners of a Nation|Edward Eggleston.

Their ramie fiber top was of a light yellowish color, which looked bright in the moonlight.
The Wonder Island Boys: The Tribesmen|Roger Finlay

British Dictionary definitions for ramie

ramie

ramee

/ (ˈræmɪ) /

noun

a woody urticaceous shrub of Asia, Boehmeria nivea, having broad leaves and a stem that yields a flaxlike fibre

the fibre from this plant, used in making fabrics, cord, etc

Word Origin for ramie

C19: from Malay rami

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012