rum

The word “rum” means a strong alcoholic spirit distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses. In plain terms, most commonly the sugarcane-based spirit; the "odd/strange" sense is old-fashioned British slang, rarely used now.

“Rum” is pronounced ruhm (/ɹʌm/ in IPA).

Here is “rum” used in a sentence: “They mixed rum with pineapple juice for the cocktail.”

Words with a similar meaning to “rum” include rumbullion, rumbustion, kill-devil, Nelson's blood, strange fish and deviant.

Depending on how it is used, “rum” can be a noun and an adjective.

The word “rum” dates back to around 1600. First recorded around the mid-1600s; the exact origin is debated, with theories tracing it to Caribbean slang words like "rumbullion.".

“Rum” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Rum” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a strong alcoholic spirit distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses.

As a noun, rum refers to a strong alcoholic spirit distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses. As an adjective, rum is an informal British word meaning odd or peculiar, and the two uses are unrelated in meaning despite sharing the same spelling.

The adjective use of rum, meaning odd or peculiar, is chiefly British and somewhat old-fashioned, so it is heard more in older or informal speech than in everyday modern conversation. Phrases like 'a rum business' or 'a rum affair' still appear in British writing with a slightly dated, colloquial tone.

Rum is distilled from sugarcane juice or molasses, which are byproducts of sugar production. This distinguishes it from spirits like whiskey or vodka, which are distilled from grains or potatoes rather than sugarcane.