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Sheaf vs Ream - What's the difference?

sheaf | ream |

As nouns the difference between sheaf and ream

is that sheaf is a quantity of the stalks and ears of wheat, rye, or other grain, bound together; a bundle of grain or straw while ream is cream; also, the creamlike froth on ale or other liquor; froth or foam in general.

As verbs the difference between sheaf and ream

is that sheaf is to gather and bind into a sheaf; to make into sheaves; as, to sheaf wheat while ream is to cream; mantle; foam; froth.

sheaf

English

Noun

(en-noun)
  • A quantity of the stalks and ears of wheat, rye, or other grain, bound together; a bundle of grain or straw.
  • * 1593 , (William Shakespeare), Titus Andronicus , Act V, Scene III, line 70:
    • O, let me teach you how to knit again / This scattered corn into one mutual sheaf , / These broken limbs again into one body.
  • * (rfdate) (John Dryden):
    • The reaper fills his greedy hands, / And binds the golden sheaves in brittle bands.
  • Any collection of things bound together; a bundle.
    • a sheaf of paper
  • A bundle of arrows sufficient to fill a quiver, or the allowance of each archer.
  • * (rfdate) (John Dryden):
    • The sheaf of arrows shook and rattled in the case.
  • A quantity of arrows, usually twenty-four.
  • * 1786 , Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons , page 34:
    • Arrows were anciently made of reeds, afterwards of cornel wood, and occasionally of every species of wood: but according to Roger Ascham, ash was best; arrows were reckoned by sheaves', a ' sheaf consisted of twenty-four arrows.
  • (mechanical) A sheave.
  • (mathematics) An abstract construct in topology that associates data to the open sets of a topological space, together with well-defined restrictions from larger to smaller open sets, subject to the condition that compatible data on overlapping open sets corresponds, via the restrictions, to a unique datum on the union of the open sets.
  • *

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To gather and bind into a sheaf; to make into sheaves; as, to sheaf wheat.
  • To collect and bind cut grain, or the like; to make sheaves.
  • * 1599 , William Shakespeare, As You Like It , Act III, Scene II, line 107:
    • They that reap must sheaf and bind; Then to cart with Rosalind.
    English nouns with irregular plurals

    ream

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) reme, rem, from (etyl) . See also (l).

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Cream; also, the creamlike froth on ale or other liquor; froth or foam in general.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To cream; mantle; foam; froth.
  • * Sir Walter Scott
    • a huge pewter measuring pot which, in the language of the hostess, reamed with excellent claret

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) remen, rimen, . More at (l).

    Alternative forms

    * (l), (l), (l)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To enlarge a hole, especially using a reamer; to bore a hole wider.
  • To shape or form, especially using a reamer.
  • To remove (material) by reaming.
  • To remove burrs and debris from a freshly bored hole.
  • (slang) To yell at or berate.
  • (slang, vulgar) To sexually penetrate in a rough and painful way, by analogy with definition 1.

    • Etymology 3

    From (etyl) reeme, from (etyl) raime, .

    Alternative forms

    * (l)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A bundle, package, or quantity of paper, nowadays usually containing 500 sheets.
  • An abstract large amount of something.
    • I can't go - I still have reams of work left.
    Coordinate terms
    * (quantity of paper) bale, bundle, quire

    See also

    *

    Anagrams

    * ----