ramie
/ˈɹæmi/ noun, proper noun
Forms ramies
- noun (usually countable) A tall, tropical Asian perennial herb, of species Boehmeria nivea, cultivated for its fibrous stems.
- noun (usually uncountable) The fibre extracted from this plant known especially for its ability to hold shape, reduce wrinkling, and introduce a silky lustre used to make textiles, fishing nets, upholstery, etc.
- proper noun A unisex given name.
Synonyms
China grass Chinese silk ramee grasscloth Chinese silk plant Boehmeria nivea
Etymology
From Malay rami.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The grasscloth plant (Boehmeria nivea); also, its fiber, which is very fine and exceedingly strong; --called also China grass, and rhea. See Grass-cloth plant, under Grass.
Etymology [From Malay.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ramie”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details