rámu

Rámu is the genitive singular form of the Czech noun rám, which means a frame, border, or supporting structure. The noun rám denotes a rigid enclosing or surrounding boundary, such as a picture frame, a window frame, or a metal frame used in construction. The form rámu is used to indicate possession or association, for example rozměry rámu meaning the dimensions of the frame, or obraz visí na rámu meaning the painting hangs on the frame. In standard Czech, the genitive case expresses relationships such as part to whole, description, or possession, and rámu is the typical form in such phrases.

The etymology of rám is not definitively settled; it is a native Slavic word with cognates in related languages and with a history of contact that included other linguistic influences. The genitive singular rámu is a regular inflected form, not a separate lexical item.

In addition to its grammatical function, rámu may appear inside longer phrases in which the root rám occurs, and in that sense it can be encountered in descriptions of objects, spatial relations, and construction contexts. The base noun rám is also used in broader senses of frame or border in everyday language.

See also: rám, frame, border.