noun
dram
dram
noun
1
A small measure or drink of liquor, especially whisky.
"He poured himself a dram of whisky before bed."
"Come in out of the cold and have a wee dram."
2
A unit of weight or fluid measure, historically about 1/16 of an ounce.
"The old recipe called for two drams of tincture."
verb
1
To drink drams of liquor, or to treat someone to one.
"The old sailors would dram together every Friday night."
How to Use Dram
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA small drink, especially of whisky, or an old-fashioned tiny unit of weight.
When to use it
The drinking sense is especially common in Scottish and Irish English.
Common pairings
a wee dram
a dram of whisky
Word Forms
drammed past tense, drams plural, drams singular
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Etymology
From Old French drame, going back through Late Latin to Ancient Greek drakhmē, "a handful" or unit of weight — the same root that gives us "drachma."