Ram Meaning
/ɹæm/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA male sheep, typically uncastrated.
nounAcronym of random-access memory.
Sentence Examples
I don't have enough RAM.
The police used a battering ram to break down the door.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The animal that attacked the fence was a wild ____ with thick horns.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The engineer used a hydraulic ____ to drive the steel piles deep into the riverbed.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English ram, rom, ramme, from Old English ramm (“ram”), from Proto-Germanic *rammaz (“ram”), possibly from *rammaz (“strong”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Rom (“ram”), Dutch ram (“a male sheep”), German Ramm, Ramme (“ram”). Possibly akin also to Danish ram (“sharp; acrid; rank”), Swedish ram (“strong; perfect”), Faroese ramur (“strong; competent”), Icelandic rammur (“strong; sturdy”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Looking for the best RAM for your PC in 2023 has gotten a little bit more complicated than before. With the advent of DDR5, you can now choose between a newer standard, and an older one. DDR4 has a differently keyed connector, and you’re also going to have to check that the RAM is compatible with your CPU in the first place. So, what should you buy?"
— 2023 March 7, Joel Loynds, “Best RAM for gaming in 2023: DDR4, DDR5 & more”, in Dexerto:
"The solid oak door—he fingered it again—was as though made to resist a ram, the walls built to withstand a siege, and every stone and brick in wall, bench, or floor was as immovable as the face of a rock."
— 1934, Ernest Bramah, The Bravo of London:
"About a couple of miles out lay an ironclad very low in the water, almost, to my brother's perception, like a water-logged ship. This was the ram Thunder Child."
— 1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 178:
"He describes the operation thus: "The heavy ram employed to impart the finishing strokes, hoisted up with double purchase and snail's pace to the summit of the Piling Engine, and then falling down like a thunderbolt on the head of the devoted timber, driving it perhaps a single half inch in to the stratum below, is well calculated to put to the test the virtue of patience, while it illustrates the old adage of—slow and sure.""
— 1952 July, W. R. Watson, “Sankey Viaduct and Embankment”, in Railway Magazine, page 487:
"Two snatch thieves who snatched a woman's bag experienced swift karma when their victim accidentally rammed into their motorcycle."
— 2016 December 29, M. Kumar, “Snatch thieves accidentally rammed by victim”, in The Star, Malaysia:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The animal that attacked the fence was a wild ____ with thick horns.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The engineer used a hydraulic ____ to drive the steel piles deep into the riverbed.