rib

B2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ɹɪb/ See IPA manual

Freq #8288

Meanings

1

noun
One of the curved bones that surround and protect your chest.

He cracked a rib when he fell off his bike.
2

noun
A curved part that supports or shapes something, like an umbrella or boat.

One of the ribs of the umbrella was broken.
3

verb
To tease someone in a friendly, good-natured way.

His friends ribbed him about his outrageous shirt.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms ribbedribbingribs

Derived forms baldribdogribforeribmidribrib-cagerib-eyerib-rackrib-ticklerrib-ticklingribbandribberribbie

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

rib cage
the bony framework of the chest formed by the ribs

Noun + noun

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.

*h₁rebʰ- Proto-Indo-European rib Middle English ribb Old English *ribi Proto-West Germanic *ribją Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# rib

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ɹɪb/
**Frequency rank:** 8288

## Meanings
1. One of the curved bones that surround and protect your chest.
2. A curved part that supports or shapes something, like an umbrella or boat.
3. To tease someone in a friendly, good-natured way.

## Examples
- He cracked a rib when he fell off his bike.
- One of the ribs of the umbrella was broken.
- His friends ribbed him about his outrageous shirt.

## Derived Forms
- baldrib
- dogrib
- forerib
- midrib
- rib-cage
- rib-eye
- rib-rack
- rib-tickler
- rib-tickling
- ribband
- ribber
- ribbie

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₁rebʰ-
- Root: rib
- Root: ribb
- Root: *ribi
- Root: *ribją

## 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.

## AI Etymology
Rib comes 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. Modern senses include one of the curved bones that surround and protect your chest. and a curved part that supports or shapes something, like an umbrella or boat.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as baldrib, dogrib, forerib, midrib, rib-cage, and rib-eye.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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