rheum

[room]

noun

1. a thin discharge of the mucous membranes, especially during a cold.

2. catarrh; cold.

rheum

/ ruːm /

noun

1. a watery discharge from the eyes or nose

Other Word Forms

• rheumic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rheum¹

1350–1400; Middle English reume < Late Latin rheuma < Greek rheûma ( rheu-, variant stem of rheîn to flow, stream + -ma noun suffix of result)

Word History and Origins

Origin of rheum¹

C14: from Old French reume , ultimately from Greek rheuma bodily humour, stream, from rhein to flow

Example Sentences

Amir began wheezing at night — once so badly that an ambulance was called — and woke up most mornings to find his eyes swollen shut with rheum.

From Washington Post

Surprised and relieved that he could see me through all that rheum, I said, “How come?”

From Salon

Unwillingly do the manes of the deceased taste the tears and rheum shed by their kinsmen: then do not wait, but diligently perform the obsequies of the dead.

From Project Gutenberg

That tickling rheums Should ever tease the lungs and blear the sight.

From Project Gutenberg

The Cornus alternifolia, or "swamp walnut," has a reputation among the people in certain localities as being a "sure" remedy for "salt rheum."

From Project Gutenberg