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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. A watery or thin mucous discharge from the eyes or nose.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A mucous discharge, as from the nostrils or lungs during a cold; hence, catarrhal discharge from the air-passages, nose, or eyes.
  2. n. A thin serous fluid, secreted by the mucous glands, etc., as in catarrh; humid matter which collects in the eyes, nose, or mouth, as tears, saliva, and the like.
  3. n. Spleen; choler.
  4. n. A genus of apetalous plants of the order Polygonaceæ and tribe Rumiceæ.
  5. n. It is characterized by its (usually) nine stamens, and its six-parted perianth which remains unchanged in fruit, around the three-winged and exserted fruit. There are about 20 species, natives of Siberia, the Himalayas, and western Asia. They are stout herbs from thick and somewhat woody rootstocks, with large toothed or lobed and wavy leaves, and loose dry stipular sheaths. The small white or greenish pedicelled bractless flowers are in racemed fascicles, the racemes panicled. The floral leaves are in some species small, in others large and colored, as in R. nobile, a remarkable species of the Sikhim Himalayas. For this and other species, see rhubarb, the common name of the genus. See also cuts under plumule and rhubarb.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A watery or thin discharge, of serum or mucus, especially from the eyes or nose.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. A genus of plants. See rhubarb.
  2. n. A serous or mucous discharge, especially one from the eves or nose.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. a watery discharge from the mucous membranes (especially from the eyes or nose)
  2. n. rhubarb.

Etymologies

  1. Middle English reume, from Old French, from Late Latin rheuma, from Greek, a flowing, rheum; see sreu- in Indo-European roots.

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  • bilby "AUFIDIUS: There was it;--
    For which my sinews shall be stretch'd upon him.
    At a few drops of women's rheum, which are
    As cheap as lies, he sold the blood and labour
    Of our great action..."
    - William Shakespeare, 'The Tragedy of Coriolanus'. Aug 29, 2009

‘rheum’ has been looked up 1527 times, loved by 2 people, added to 24 lists, commented on 1 time, and has a Scrabble score of 10.