rib.
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.
Meaning & usage
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 broken rib on the umbrella
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 strip of metal running along the top of the barrel that serves as a sighting plane.
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.
Where this word comes from
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.
To shape, support, or provide something with a rib or ribs.
To tease or make fun of someone in a good-natured way.
He always gets ribbed for his outrageous shirts.
To enclose, as if with ribs, and protect; to shut in.
To leave strips of undisturbed ground between the furrows in ploughing (land).
Where this word comes from
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.
Hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale).
Costmary (Tanacetum balsamita).
Watercress (Nasturtium officinale).
Where this word comes from
From Middle English ribbe, from Old English ribbe (“hound's-tongue”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.