Rheims

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Reims is a historic city in northeastern France known for its Gothic cathedral and its champagne production
2. An old French cathedral city in the Champagne region, famous for its coronation church and sparkling wine cellars
3. A city in the Marne department of northeastern France, traditionally the site where French kings were crowned

Etymology: "Rheims" is a dated English spelling of the French city now written "Reims," in the Champagne region of northeastern France. The spelling reflects the older English habit of rendering the city's name with an "rh" beginning and a final "s" that followed the conventions of earlier English writing rather than modern French orthography. Over time English writers settled on the French form, so the older spelling now mostly appears in historical texts and in some older maps, guidebooks, and literary works that predate the change.