rib

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 (such as beef or pork) from a rib section

[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: such 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: such 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 and Etymology of rib

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Anatomy Terms

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

rib

verb

Definition of rib

ribbed; ribbing

transitive verb

1 : to furnish or enclose with ribs

2 : to knit so as to form vertical ridges in

—

ribber

noun

First Known Use of rib

circa 1547

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

rib

noun

Definition of rib

1 : joke

2 : parody

Origin and Etymology of rib

⁴rib

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1929

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

rib

verb

Definition of rib

ribbed; ribbing

transitive verb

: to poke fun at : kid

—

ribber

noun

Origin and Etymology of rib

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1912

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

RIB Defined for Kids

rib

noun \ ˈrib \

Definition of rib for Students

1 : 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

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

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

4 : 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