noun
REM
noun
1
A unit used to measure the biological effect of radiation exposure on the human body.
"Workers at the plant are monitored to keep their exposure under a set number of rems per year."
2
In coding, a line marking a comment or note that the computer ignores — used mainly in older languages like BASIC.
"She added a REM line at the top of the script to explain what it did."
3
A unit of measurement in web design equal to the font size set on the page's root element.
"The designer used rem units so the text would scale consistently across the site."
How to Use REM
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA short technical term with different meanings depending on the field — radiation dose, code comment, or CSS sizing unit.
Word Forms
REMs plural, rems plural, rems plural, rems plural, Rems plural
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Workers at the plant are monitored to keep their exposure under a set number of _____ per year.
Etymology
Formed as a shortening — the radiation unit clips "roentgen equivalent man," while the programming sense clips "remark."