ramp 2 / ræmp / Show Spelled Pronunciation [ ramp ] Show IPA –noun Usually, ramps. a wild onion, Allium tricoccum, of the amaryllis family, of eastern North America, having flat leaves and rounded clusters of whitish flowers; eaten raw or used as a flavoring in cooked foods.
Origin: 1530–40; back formation from
ramps ramson, var. (with intrusive
p ) of
rams, earlier
rammys, orig. the sing. of
ramson
ramp 1 An inclined surface or roadway connecting different levels.
A mobile staircase by which passengers board and leave an aircraft.
A concave bend of a handrail where a sharp change in level or direction occurs, as at a stair landing.
rampe , from ramper , to slope, rise up , from Old French; see ramp 2 .]
ramp 2 ramped , ramp·ing , ramps To act threateningly or violently; rage.
To assume a threatening stance.
Heraldry To stand in the rampant position.
rampen , from Old French ramper , to rear, rise up , of Germanic origin .]ramp n.
ramp 3 (Allium tricoccum) related to onions and leeks, having edible underground stems and found in the eastern United States.rams , from Middle English ramse , from Old English hramsa .]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Abbreviations & Acronyms
RAMP
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
[ramp] 
