What does rams mean?
The word rams is most commonly the plural of ram, a mature male sheep distinguished by its horns. It can also be the third-person singular present form of the verb ram, as in a vehicle rams a barrier, meaning that it strikes or drives into something with considerable force. In computing, the capitalized form RAMs denotes multiple units of random-access memory, the working storage used by computers and other devices. The sheep sense normally appears in pastoral, farming, or wildlife contexts, while the verb sense is forceful and often suggests a sudden collision or aggressive movement. Although the spelling and pronunciation are identical across these uses, capitalization and sentence context usually distinguish the technical meaning from the ordinary ones. The form is useful in discussing animal husbandry, traffic incidents, mechanical impacts, and computer hardware, as well as in writing that examines how one word can acquire unrelated meanings through grammar and abbreviation.
The plural of ram, a sexually mature male sheep. Capitalized RAMs can also denote units of random-access memory.
"The shepherd guided the rams into the upper pasture."
The ordinary plural is lowercase, while the computing abbreviation is capitalized as RAM.
The third-person singular present form of ram, meaning to strike or drive into something forcefully.
"The runaway car rammed the metal barrier."
Usually transitive; it takes a person, vehicle, or object as its subject and something struck as its object.
Rams is the regular plural of the noun ram, a mature male sheep.
"Several rams were kept in a separate enclosure."
One word can mean a flock of horned sheep, a forceful collision, or the memory chips behind a computer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rams come from?
The underlying noun comes from Old English ram, referring to a male sheep, and is cognate with similar forms in Dutch, German, and Icelandic. The verb developed from the same ancient word by applying the forceful action associated with a horned ram to the act of striking or driving into something. The modern computer term RAM is an abbreviation of random-access memory and has no etymological connection with the animal.
Related word forms
How rams is actually used
Lowercase rams is the ordinary plural of the noun ram and the third-person singular form of the verb ram. The computing sense is written RAMs, with the abbreviation RAM in capitals; it is the plural of an abbreviation rather than a plural form of the sheep noun.
Easily confused with rams
RAM is an abbreviation for random-access memory, whereas lowercase rams normally refers to male sheep or is an inflected form of the verb ram.