*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of dram

Inherited from Middle English dragme /dramme, from Old French dragme, from Late Latin dragma, from Latin drachma, from Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ, “unit of weight; a handful”). Doublet of drachma, diram, dirham, dirhe

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1 · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To drink drams. · To ply with drams of drink.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English dragme /dramme, from Old French dragme, from Late Latin dragma, from Latin drachma, from Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ, “unit of weight; a handful”). Doublet of drachma, diram, dirham, dirhem, and adarme.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dragme//dramme<ety:bor<fro:dragme>>",
        "id": "unit of weight"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"dragme\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"dragme\\/\\/dramme\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dram\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"unit of weight\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"dram\" id=\"English:_unit_of_weight\">"
    },
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        "2": "i",
        "3": "I"
      },
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      "name": "glossary",
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      },
      "expansion": "Inherited"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dragme//dramme",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": "",
        "id": "",
        "sc": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dragme /dramme"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dragme//dramme"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English dragme /dramme"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "dragme"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French dragme"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "dragma"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin dragma"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "drachma"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin drachma"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "δραχμή",
        "t": "unit of weight; a handful"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ, “unit of weight; a handful”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "drachma",
        "3": "diram",
        "4": "dirham",
        "5": "dirhem",
        "6": "adarme"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of drachma, diram, dirham, dirhem, and adarme"
    },
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      "name": "ety",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dragme//dramme<ety:bor<fro:dragme>>",
        "id": "unit of weight"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
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      "dragme#Old_French"
    ],
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      "dragma",
      "dragma#Latin"
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      "drachma",
      "drachma#Latin"
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      "δραχμή",
      "δραχμή#Ancient_Greek"
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      "diram",
      "diram#English"
    ],
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      "dirham",
      "dirham#English"
    ],
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      "dirhem",
      "dirhem#English"
    ],
    [
      "adarme",
      "adarme#English"
    ]
  ],
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  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To drink drams.",
        "To ply with drams of drink."
      ],
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        "dated",
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        "transitive"
      ],
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Source etymology 1 · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of drachm (“One sixteenth of an ounce avoirdupois (1.77 g; symbol: ʒ)”). · Alternative form of drachm (“One eighth of an ounce apothecary (3.89 g; symbol: ʒ)”). · Synonym of dirhem: a former Turkish unit of weight (variously 1.5–3.5 g). · Synonym of drachma: a former Greek unit of weight (about 4.3 g).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inherited from Middle English dragme /dramme, from Old French dragme, from Late Latin dragma, from Latin drachma, from Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ, “unit of weight; a handful”). Doublet of drachma, diram, dirham, dirhem, and adarme.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 3 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:dragme//dramme<ety:bor<fro:dragme>>",
        "id": "unit of weight"
      },
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        "4": "",
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        "lit": "",
        "pos": "",
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        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "nocat": "",
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      },
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    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Middle English dragme /dramme"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "dragme"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French dragme"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la-lat",
        "3": "dragma"
      },
      "expansion": "Late Latin dragma"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "drachma"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin drachma"
    },
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      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "δραχμή",
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      },
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    },
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        "6": "adarme"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of drachma, diram, dirham, dirhem, and adarme"
    },
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        "2": ":inh",
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        "id": "unit of weight"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
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      "dragme",
      "dragme#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "dramme",
      "dramme#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "dragme",
      "dragme#Old_French"
    ],
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      "dragma#Latin"
    ],
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    ],
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      "δραχμή#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
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    ],
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      "diram",
      "diram#English"
    ],
    [
      "dirham",
      "dirham#English"
    ],
    [
      "dirhem",
      "dirhem#English"
    ],
    [
      "adarme",
      "adarme#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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      "lang": "Danish",
      "lang_code": "da",
      "word": "dram",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Faroese",
          "lang_code": "fo",
          "word": "drammur",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ]
        },
        {
          "lang": "Norwegian",
          "lang_code": "no",
          "word": "dram",
          "raw_tags": [
            "borrowed"
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "lang_code": "gd",
      "word": "dràm",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of drachm (“One sixteenth of an ounce avoirdupois (1.77 g; symbol: ʒ)”).",
        "Alternative form of drachm (“One eighth of an ounce apothecary (3.89 g; symbol: ʒ)”).",
        "Synonym of dirhem: a former Turkish unit of weight (variously 1.5–3.5 g).",
        "Synonym of drachma: a former Greek unit of weight (about 4.3 g)."
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      "tags": [
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

The currency of Armenia, divided into 100 luma.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Armenian դրամ (dram), from Middle Persian 𐭦𐭥𐭦𐭭 (ZWZN /⁠drahm⁠/), from Ancient Greek δραχμή (drakhmḗ, “unit of weight, a handful”), from δράσσομαι (drássomai, “to hold, seize”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "hy:դրամ",
        "id": "Armenian currency"
      },
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    },
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      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Armenian դրամ (dram)"
    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "2": "pal",
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        "ts": "drahm"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Persian 𐭦𐭥𐭦𐭭 (ZWZN /⁠drahm⁠/)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
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    },
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      "expansion": ""
    }
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dram →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-ZHJhbQ