ram: [OE] Ram is a general West Germanic word for ‘male sheep’, now shared only by Dutch (although German has the derivative ramme ‘rammer’). It may be related to Old Norse ramr ‘strong’, the allusion being to the ram’s strength in butting. This is reflected in the word’s metaphorical applications: it was being used in Old English for a ‘battering-ram’, and by the 14th century the verb ram had emerged.
Another relative is the verb ramble [17], which etymologically denotes ‘wander around like a randy ram, looking for ewes to copulate with’. It was borrowed from Middle Dutch rammelen, a derivative of rammen ‘copulate with’, which is connected with ram. => ramble
Old English ramm "male sheep," also "battering ram" and the zodiac sign; earlier rom "male sheep," a West Germanic word (cognates: Middle Low German, Middle Dutch, Dutch, Old High German ram), of unknown origin. Perhaps [Klein] connected with Old Norse rammr "strong," Old Church Slavonic ramenu "impetuous, violent."
