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¹rib

noun \ˈrib\

Definition of RIB

a : any of the paired curved bony or partly cartilaginous rods that stiffen the walls of the body of most vertebrates and protect the viscera

b (1) : a cut of meat including a rib — see beef illustration (2) : a boneless cut of meat (as beef or pork) from a rib section

c [from the account of Eve's creation from Adam's rib in Genesis 2:21–22] : wife

: something resembling a rib in shape or function: as

a (1) : a traverse member of the frame of a ship that runs from keel to deck (2) : a light fore-and-aft member in an airplane's wing

b : one of the stiff strips supporting an umbrella's fabric

c : one of the arches in Romanesque and Gothic vaulting meeting and crossing one another and dividing the whole vaulted space into triangles

: an elongated ridge: as

a (1) : a vein of an insect's wing (2) : one of the primary veins of a leaf

b : one of the ridges in a knitted or woven fabric

Illustration of RIB

Origin of RIB

Middle English, from Old English ribb; akin to Old High German rippi rib, Old Church Slavic rebro, and probably to Greek erephein to roof over

First Known Use: before 12th century

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

Rhymes with RIB

bib, crib, drib, fib, gib, glib, Hib, jib, lib, nib, sib, squib

²rib

verb

ribbedrib·bing

Definition of RIB

transitive verb

: to furnish or enclose with ribs

: to knit so as to form vertical ridges in

— rib·ber noun

First Known Use of RIB

circa 1547

³rib

noun

Definition of RIB

: joke

: parody

Origin of RIB

⁴rib

First Known Use: 1929

⁴rib

verb

ribbedrib·bing

Definition of RIB

transitive verb

: to poke fun at : kid

— rib·ber noun

Origin of RIB

probably from ¹rib; from the tickling of the ribs to cause laughter

First Known Use: 1930

RIBBER Defined for Kids

rib

noun \ˈrib\

Definition of RIB for Kids

: one of the curved bones of the chest that are joined to the backbone and help to stiffen the body wall and protect the organs

: a piece of meat from an animal (as a cow or pig) that includes a rib and is used as food

: something (as a piece of wire supporting the fabric of an umbrella) that is like a rib in shape or use

: one of the parallel ridges in a knitted or woven fabric

— ribbed \ˈribd\ adjective <a ribbed sweater>

Medical Dictionary

rib

noun \ˈrib\

Medical Definition of RIB

: any 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 occur in mammals exclusively or almost exclusively in the thoracic region, and that in humans normally include 12 pairs of which all are articulated with the spinal column at the dorsal end and the first 10 are connected also at the ventral end with the sternum by costal cartilages—see false rib, floating rib, true rib