I. ˈrib noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English rib, ribbe, from Old English rib, ribb; akin to Old High German rippi rib, Old Norse rif, Old Slavic rebro, Greek erephein to roof over
1.
a. : one of the paired curved bony or partly cartilaginous rods that stiffen the lateral walls of the body of most vertebrates and protect the viscera, that are usually movably articulated with the spinal column at the dorsal end and sometimes connected also at the ventral end with the sternum by costal cartilages morphologically considered unossified segments, that occur in mammals exclusively or almost exclusively in the thoracic region, and that form in man normally 12 pairs — see false rib , true rib ; cow illustration
b. : one of the swimming bands of a ctenophore
c. : a cut of meat including a rib
rib roast
— see beef illustration, lamb illustration
d.
[so called from the biblical account of Eve's creation from Adam's rib, Gen 2:21-22]
: wife
2. : an elongated elevation running the length of an object: as
a.
(1) : the quill of a feather
(2) : a vein of an insect's wing
(3) : one of the primary veins of a leaf
b.
(1) : a strip of land lying between furrows
(2) : stratum , dike ; specifically : a small ridge on a steep mountainside
c. chiefly Scotland : a bar of a gate
d.
(1) : one of the vertical ridges formed in knitting by ribbing and containing one or more wales
(2) : one of the horizontal or vertical ridges in a woven fabric that are in a close regular pattern and made by the use of coarser yarns in the warp or weft
e.
(1) : a ridge, fin, or wing (as on a plate, cylinder, or beam) used to strengthen, stiffen, or dissipate heat
(2) : a metal strip running the length or most of the length of a shoulder weapon (as a shotgun) or of a handgun (as a target pistol) and designed to facilitate alignment of the sights or to bring the sighting plane into prominence
f. : raised band
3. : an object designed to provide lateral, longitudinal, or horizontal support: as
a. : a framing timber in a house or other similar building
b.
(1) : a transverse member of the frame of a ship that runs from keel to deck and carries the planking or plating
(2) : a light fore-and-aft member in the wing of an airplane that supports the fabric covering or metal skin and that determines the form of the wing section
c. : a stiff strip (as of metal) supporting the fabric in an umbrella
d. : one of a number of parallel members supporting a bridge
e.
(1) : one of the quadrantal or otherwise curved members of the framing for a dome
(2) : an arched longitudinal frame of timber or one of a set of such frames parallel and equidistant supporting the transverse laggings and with them forming the centering of an arch
(3) : one of the arches in Romanesque and Gothic vaulting meeting and crossing one another and dividing the whole vaulted space into triangles
(4) : a projecting band in a vault or arched ceiling
f.
(1) : solid coal on the side of a gallery or solid ore in a vein
(2) : an elongated pillar of ore or coal left as a support in a mine
4. : an object so curved as to resemble a human rib: as
a. : a curved side connecting the top and back of a musical instrument of the violin class
b. : a piece of thin wood or slate used in ceramic work that is cut to the shape of the section or profile of a cup and that is employed in smoothing the inner surface of the clay
[s]rib.jpg[/s] [
ribs 1a
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II. transitive verb
( ribbed ; ribbed ; ribbing ; ribs )
1. : to furnish, strengthen, or enclose with or as if with ribs
rib a vessel
rib a structure
2. : to form vertical ridges in in knitting by alternating knit and purl stitches in a regular pattern
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Irish Gaelic ribe, ruibe
Irish : a single hair : bristle
IV. transitive verb
( ribbed ; ribbed ; ribbing ; ribs )
Etymology: probably from rib (I) ; from the tickling of one's ribs to cause laughter
: to poke fun at : kid
players ribbing an umpire
V. noun
( -s )
1. : joke
always enjoying a rib on someone else
2. : parody
an uproarious rib of a Western