ream

You may not think about it, but when you buy printer paper, you often buy it in reams. Today, a ream usually means a pack of 500 sheets of paper. The word can also mean a large amount of something, as in "reams of data" or "a ream of notes." In both cases, it gives the sense of a big, packed-together amount.

A ream is best known as a unit for paper. In modern use, it usually means 500 sheets, though older systems sometimes counted 480 sheets instead. The word comes from the Arabic rizmah, meaning a bundle, and passed into English through Old French. It is still the usual word for a wrapped pack of office paper and for paper counted in bulk.

But the word also works as a verb. In technical use, to ream means to widen or smooth out a hole with a tool called a reamer. It can also mean to squeeze juice from citrus fruit with a reamer.

In informal speech, ream can also refer to a harsh verbal attack, especially in the phrase "ream someone out." If a boss reams someone out, they scold them very severely. So the word can point to a literal pack of paper, a large amount of something, the act of widening a hole, or a strong scolding.