ream

Where does the word "ream" come from? It comes from Arabic rizma, passing through Old French before entering English (1400s).

Ream’s story begins in Arabic: rizma meant “a bundle, bale.” Literally a bundle, applied to a bundle of paper sheets. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as reyme. Carried into French paper-trade vocabulary. It reached English by 1400s as ream. Settled as the English word for a standard bundle of paper. Today, ream means a standard quantity of paper, typically 500 sheets.

1. Stage 1 · Arabic · medieval rizma "a bundle, bale", literally a bundle, applied to a bundle of paper sheets.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval reyme "a bundle of paper sheets", carried into French paper-trade vocabulary.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1400s ream "a standard quantity of paper sheets", settled as the English word for a standard bundle of paper.