A large quantity of paper, officially 500 sheets, or a large amount of anything (like 'reams of information').
From Arabic 'rizmah' meaning 'bundle' or 'package,' entering English through Spanish and French in the 1300s. Originally meant any bundle of paper, then standardized to 500 sheets.
A ream is such an old measuring unit that it still defines how we sell paper today—it's one reason paper comes in those mysterious large packs. The word traveled from Arabic traders through multiple languages before settling in English.
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