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 Words From

• rheumic 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

Dim or sore with water or rheum; Ð said of the eyes.

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