rime
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A film or slimy coating.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
rymIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɹaɪm
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
figurative
A film or slimy coating.
figurative
White hair as an indication of old age.
Archaic in the form rimes: originally, any frozen dew forming a white deposit on exposed surfaces; hoar frost (sense 1).
verb
transitive
To cover (something) with rime (noun etymology 1, sense 1 or etymology 1, sense 3.1) or (loosely) hoar frost.
intransitive
Sometimes followed by up: of a thing: to become covered with rime or (loosely) hoar frost.
transitivefigurative
To cover (something) with a thin coating or film; to coat.
To enlarge (a hole), especially using a tool such as a reamer.
To remove debris from inside (something, such as a freshly bored hole or a pipe) using a tool.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A film or slimy coating.
Used this way, rime is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- hoarfrost , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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