Etymology: < Middle French, French rame branch of a tree (1364 as raime ; 12th cent. in Old French in sense ‘branches collectively’), branch of a blood vessel (15th cent.), also (masculine) †ram branch (10th cent. in Old French), ultimately < classical Latin rāmus branch (see ramus n.). Compare Old Occitan rama (mid 12th cent.; Occitan rama), Catalan rama (second half of the 13th cent.), Spanish rama (late 12th cent.), Portuguese rama (early 12th cent.), Italian rama (c1325), also (masculine) Old Occitan ram (early 12th cent.; Occitan ram), Catalan ram (second half of the 13th cent.), Spanish ramo (second half of the 10th cent.), Portuguese ramo (13th cent.), Italian ramo (13th cent.) The evidence of the Romance languages suggests that the change of gender to feminine occurred early in post-classical Latin, probably by analogy with folia leaf, itself a reinterpretation of the neuter plural as feminine singular (see foil n.¹). Compare post-classical Latin rama (9th cent. in a French source). N.E.D. (1903) gives the pronunciation as (rēⁱm) /reɪm/.

Etymology: < rame v.² Compare earlier rane n.

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps a variant of roam v. (although this is otherwise first attested later; compare forms and discussion at that entry).

Etymology: Origin uncertain; perhaps the reflex of an unattested Old English *hrāmian < an unattested Old English noun cognate with Old Icelandic hreimr scream, cry, probably ultimately < the same Germanic base as scream v. Compare earlier reme v.Perhaps compare Shetland Scots rem to speak shrilly and incoherently, and its cognates Old Icelandic remja to roar, Norwegian remje to roar, howl, wail, bleat, Old Swedish rämia to cry, scream, shriek (Swedish regional rämja) < an ablaut variant of the Scandinavian base of Old Icelandic rámr hoarse; further etymology uncertain, perhaps ultimately imitative. In Scots forms with rh- apparently influenced by rhyme v.