# rum

Pronunciation: say "RUM" /ɹʌm/

## Noun

1. An alcoholic spirit distilled from fermented cane sugar and molasses.
   - Simple: A strong alcoholic drink made from sugar cane.
   - _The bartender mixed rum with lime juice and a little sugar._
   - _Distillers age rum in oak barrels to deepen its color and flavor._
2. An individual serving of rum, such as a glass or measure poured for one person.
   - Simple: A single glass or drink of rum, like one you order at a bar.
   - _After dinner, the host poured each guest a small rum._
   - _The sailors collected their rums at the end of the watch._
3. A particular variety or brand of rum, distinguished by its origin, ingredients, or style.
   - Simple: One type or brand of rum, different from other kinds.
   - _The distillery makes a dark rum for sipping and a lighter one for cocktails._
   - _Caribbean producers export hundreds of rums, each with its own character._

## Adjective

4. Strange or peculiar. *(dated, UK)*
   - Simple: Strange or odd, in a way that is hard to explain.
   - _Something rum was going on at the warehouse, though no one could say quite what._
   - _She gave him a rum look when he mentioned the missing keys._
7. Fine, excellent, or valuable. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Very good, fine, or worth a lot.

## Noun

5. Any person or thing regarded as odd or peculiar. *(dated, British)*
   - Simple: A person or thing that seems odd or strange.
   - _The gamekeeper reckoned the new tenant a rum, what with his telescope and his midnight walks._
   - _Even by fairground standards, the mechanical fortune-teller was a rum._
6. The card game more commonly known as rummy, in which players collect and lay down matching sets of cards. *(rare)*
   - Simple: A card game where players collect matching cards, usually called rummy.
   - _After dinner, the cousins dealt out a hand of rum._
   - _He laid down a full set of kings and won the game of rum._
8. A country parson; a clergyman serving a rural parish. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A church minister who serves a small country village.
   - _The rum rode out from the rectory each week to visit the sick of three parishes._
   - _A new rum arrived in the parish that spring, fresh from his studies._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3, 8** — In common use since at least 1654, but of uncertain origin. Suggested sources include the word rum meaning "fine, good," the last syllable of Latin saccharum, a shortening of rumbullion or rumbustion, a Romani word for "strong, potent," or rummer (from Dutch roemer); given the harsh taste of early rum, the saccharum theory is now thought unlikely.
**Meanings 4–5, 7** — From the earlier slang form rome ("good"), possibly of Romani origin; compare rom.
**Meaning 6** — A shortening of rummy.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rum (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).