rib
Plural: ribs
Noun
- support resembling the rib of an animal
- any of the 12 pairs of curved arches of bone extending from the spine to or toward the sternum in humans (and similar bones in most vertebrates)
- cut of meat including one or more ribs
- a teasing remark
- a riblike supporting or strengthening part of an animal or plant
- a projecting molding on the underside of a vault or ceiling; may be ornamental or structural
- Any of a series of long curved bones occurring in 12 pairs in humans and other animals and extending from the spine to or toward the sternum.
- A part or piece, similar to a rib, and serving to shape or support something.
- A cut of meat enclosing one or more rib bones.
- Any of several curved members attached to a ship's keel and extending upward and outward to form the framework of the hull.
- Any of several transverse pieces that provide an aircraft wing with shape and strength.
- A long, narrow, usually arched member projecting from the surface of a structure, especially such a member separating the webs of a vault
- A raised ridge in knitted material or in cloth.
- The main, or any of the prominent veins of a leaf.
- A teasing joke.
- A single strand of hair.
- A stalk of celery.
- A wife or woman.
- Hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale).
- Costmary (Tanacetum balsamita).
- Watercress (Nasturtium officinale).
Verb
Verb Forms: ribbed, ribbing, ribs
- To tease or make fun of someone playfully.
- form vertical ribs by knitting
- "A ribbed sweater"
- subject to laughter or ridicule
- To shape, support, or provide something with a rib or ribs.
- To tease or make fun of someone in a good-natured way.
- To enclose, as if with ribs, and protect; to shut in.
- To leave strips of undisturbed ground between the furrows in ploughing (land).
Examples
- a broken rib on the umbrella
- He always gets ribbed for his outrageous shirts.
- My opponent liked to rib me about my tile luck, but I kept my focus.
Origin / Etymology
From Middle English rib, ribbe, from Old English ribb (“rib”), from Proto-West Germanic *ribi, from Proto-Germanic *ribją (“rib, reef”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rebʰ- (“arch, ceiling, cover”).
Cognate with Dutch rib (“rib”), Norwegian ribbe (“sparerib”), Norwegian ribben (“rib”), Low German ribbe (“rib”), German Rippe (“rib”), Old Norse rif (“rib, reef”), Serbo-Croatian rèbro (“rib”).
(wife or woman): In reference to the creation of Eve from Adam's rib in the Bible.
Synonyms
blackguard, costa, guy, jest at, laugh at, make fun, poke fun, ridicule, roast
Scrabble Score: 5
rib: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordrib: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
rib: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary