ramie

plural ramies

1. countableusuallyA tall, tropical Asian perennial herb, of species Boehmeria nivea, cultivated for its fibrous stems.
2. uncountableusuallyThe fibre extracted from this plant known especially for its ability to hold shape, reduce wrinkling, and introduce a silky lustre used to make textiles, fishing nets, upholstery, etc.

   1 more example

   Ramie is an obscure but long-known fiber that comes, surprisingly, from nettles (but not the stinging kind). Like linen from the flax plant, ramie is made not from the woody stem of the plant, and not from its outer bark, but from a layer in between called the phloem, or inner bark (the part that carries sap up and down the branches).

   2014, Theodore Gray, photography by Nick Mann, Molecules: The Elements and the Architecture of Everything, 2018 Paperback Edition, page 119

plural Ramies

1. A unisex given name.

   Ramie Dowling, b. 1921