rib

¹rib

noun \ˈrib\

Definition of RIB

1

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

2

: 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

3

: 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