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

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