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ramie

[ram-ee, rey-mee]
noun
  1. an Asian shrub, Boehmeria nivea, of the nettle family, yielding a fiber used especially in making textiles.
  2. the fiber itself.
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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. 2018

Examples from the Web for ramie

Historical Examples

  • Ramie or China grass is a soft, silky, and extremely strong fiber.

    Textiles

    William H. Dooley

  • There was plenty of the ramie cloth at hand, but it was quite yellow.

  • The next in importance to linen is ramie or rhea, and China grass.

    Textiles and Clothing

    Kate Heintz Watson

  • China grass comes from a different plant but is about the same as ramie.

    Textiles and Clothing

    Kate Heintz Watson

  • Ginghams are also woven of silk and cotton mixed or of silk and ramie.

    Textiles and Clothing

    Kate Heintz Watson

British Dictionary definitions for ramie

ramie

ramee

noun
  1. a woody urticaceous shrub of Asia, Boehmeria nivea, having broad leaves and a stem that yields a flaxlike fibre
  2. the fibre from this plant, used in making fabrics, cord, etc
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Word Origin

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