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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

rheum en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ɹuːm/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English reume, rewme, from Anglo-Norman reume, from Late Latin rheuma, from Ancient Greek ῥεῦμα (rheûma, “stream, humour”). Doublet of stream.

Meanings

  1. (uncountable) Thin or watery discharge of mucus or serum, especially from the eyes or nose, formerly thought to cause disease.
    • You that did voide your rume vpon my beard, / And foote me as you ſpurne a ſtranger curre / Ouer your threſhold, […] c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii], page 166:
    • [T]thronging theaters of people (as well Aliens as Engliſhmen) hiued thither about the ſelling of fiſh and Herring, from Saint Michael to Saint Martin, and there built ſutlers booths and tabernacles, to canopie their heads in from the rhewme of the heauens, or the clouds diſſoluing Cataracts. 1599, [Thomas] Nashe, Nashes Lenten Stuffe, […], London: […] [Thomas Judson and Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and C[uthbert] B[urby] […], →OCLC, page 10:
    • He wore about his shoulders a heavy cloak; his pale face was drawn and his voice broken with rheum. 1916, James Joyce, chapter III, in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, New York, N.Y.: B[enjamin] W. Huebsch, →OCLC, page 123:
  2. (countable, uncountable) Illness or disease thought to be caused by such secretions; a catarrh, a cold; rheumatism.
    • And not as ſome yeeres ſince, I ſaw a Deane of S. Hillarie of Poictiers, reduced by reaſon and the incommoditie of his melancholy to ſuch a continuall ſolitarineſſe, that when I entered into his chamber he had never remooved one ſteppe out of it in twoo and twenty yeares before: yet had all his faculties free and eaſie, onely a rheume excepted that fell into his ſtomake. 1603, Michel de Montaigne, “Of the Recompences or Rewards of Honour”, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC, page 227:
  3. (countable, poetic, uncountable) Tears.
    • Rich. And ſay, what ſtore of parting tears were ſhed? / Aum. Faith none for me: except the Northeaſt wind / Which then grew bitterly againſt our face, / Awak’d the ſleepie rhewme, and ſo by chance / Did grace our hollow parting with a teare. 1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv], page 27, column 2:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
rheums Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

enrheum · rheumatism · salt rheum · rheumy · rheumed · rheumic · rheumatic

Hyponyms

sleep (dried rheum around eyes) · gound (dried rheum around eyes) · sleepy dust (dried rheum around eyes) · crusty (dried rheum around eyes)

Translations (81)

pt reuma (nose discharge) · su cileuh (eye discharge — see also sleep) · arz عماص (eye discharge — see also sleep) · es moco (nose discharge) · te బూజ (eye discharge — see also sleep) · es mucosidad (nose discharge) · mk хре́ма (illness) · ro urdoare (nose discharge) · hu csúz (illness) · vi ghèn (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ar غَمَص (eye discharge — see also sleep) · grc λήμη (eye discharge — see also sleep) · bg секреция (nose discharge) · bg гурел (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ota چاپاق (eye discharge — see also sleep) · pon pwinan (eye discharge — see also sleep) · es chelito (eye discharge — see also sleep) · fi rähmä (eye discharge — see also sleep) · fr chassie (nose discharge) · it cispa (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ta சளி (illness) · ga réama (nose discharge) · fi reumatismi (illness) · ta பூளை (eye discharge — see also sleep) · mk слуз (nose discharge) · vi rử (eye discharge — see also sleep) · mi pīkari (eye discharge — see also sleep) · izh sitta (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ms pilek (illness) · la grāmiae (eye discharge — see also sleep) · fr morve (nose discharge) · cs ospalek (eye discharge — see also sleep) · bg хрема (illness) · cy môl (eye discharge — see also sleep) · rgn càcar (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ms tahi mata (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ar رَمَص (eye discharge — see also sleep) · es magaña (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ta பீளை (eye discharge — see also sleep) · mk гурелка (eye discharge — see also sleep) · vi gỉ (eye discharge — see also sleep) · pa ਗਿੱਡ (eye discharge — see also sleep) · cmn(nose discharge) · tr çapak (eye discharge — see also sleep) · hy ճպուռ (eye discharge — see also sleep) · es pitarra (eye discharge — see also sleep) · hu nátha (illness) · es chele (eye discharge — see also sleep) · fi katarri (catarrh) (illness) · ta சளி (nose discharge) · es chinguiña (eye discharge — see also sleep) · pt remela (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ru носова́я слизь (nose discharge) · fi kuola (nose discharge) · es pitaña (eye discharge — see also sleep) · as শেঙুন (nose discharge) · es lagaña (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ckb ڕیپۆق (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ru слизь (nose discharge) · izh räämy (eye discharge — see also sleep) · vi nhử (eye discharge — see also sleep) · hu hurut (illness) · ko 점막 분비물 (nose discharge) · fi flunssa (illness) · ja 目脂 (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ota نزله (nose discharge) · id pilek (illness) · hu reuma (illness) · pl katar (nose discharge) · id selesma (nose discharge) · rgn càcula (eye discharge — see also sleep) · hu csipa (eye discharge — see also sleep) · hu takony (nose discharge) · el τσίμπλα (eye discharge — see also sleep) · fi räkä (nose discharge) · ty vare (eye discharge — see also sleep) · ms selesma (nose discharge) · gl reuma (nose discharge) · mag 𑂍𑂰𑂀𑂒𑂲 (eye discharge — see also sleep) · vi dử (eye discharge — see also sleep) · es legaña (eye discharge — see also sleep)

rheum en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ɹuːm/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Clipping of rheumatologist.

Meanings

  1. (abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, informal) Clipping of rheumatologist.
    • […] the other rheumatologist in the practice I saw after that first meeting was irritated because my history was completely wrong. Not [irritated] at me, [but] the other rheum. […] I had to switch rheums at one point due to insurance problems. […] Thank god my good rheum’s office sorted out the insurance. 2025 July 11, "bookwbng5" (username), [2025 July 11, "bookwbng5" (username), comment on "Bad first rheumatologist experience" on r/rheumatoid, on Reddit: comment] on "Bad first rheumatologist experience" on r/rheumatoid, on Reddit

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
rheums Number=Plur lexicographic