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dram¹

(drăm)

1. Abbr. dr.

a. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to ¹/₁₆ of an ounce or 27.34 grains (1.77 grams).

b. A unit of apothecary weight equal to ¹/₈ of an ounce or 60 grains (3.89 grams).

a. A small draft: took a dram of brandy.

b. A small amount; a bit: not a dram of compassion.

[Middle English dragme, a drachma, a unit of weight, from Old French, from Late Latin dragma, from Latin drachma; see DRACHMA.]

dram²

(dräm)

n. pl. dram

See Table at currency.

[Armenian, ultimately from Greek drakhmē; see DRACHMA.]

DRAM

(dērăm′)

Dynamic RAM.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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