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Dictionary Definition of rib
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rib [1] noun 1. one of a series of long, slender, curved bones, occurring in pairs, more or less enclosing the thoracic cavity, and articulated with the vertebrae. 2. a cut of meat, as beef, containing a rib. 3. some thing or part resembling a rib in form, position, or use, as a supporting or strengthening part. 4. an arch or arched member, plain or moulded, forming a support of a vault, or a merely decorative feature of like appearance on the surface of a vault or ceiling. 5. a structural member which supports the shape of something: an umbrella rib. 6. one of the curved timbers or members in a ship's frame which spring upwards and outwards from the keel. 7. a primary vein of a leaf. 8. a ridge, as in poplin or rep, caused by heavy yarn. 9. Knitting a pattern in which plain and purl stitches are alternated. 10. a wife (in humorous allusion to the creation of Eve. Gen. 2:21--22). 11. a strip of metal joining the barrel of a double-barrelled shotgun, which acts as a guide to aligning the sights. 12. Bookbinding a. one of the raised lines where the stitching runs across the spine of a book. b. such a line used ornamentally. -- verb ( ribbed, ribbing ) -- verb (t) 13. to furnish or strengthen with ribs. 14. to enclose as with ribs. 15. to mark with riblike ridges or markings. 16. to knit (an article) in a rib. -- verb (i) 17. to knit in a rib. [ME and OE, c. G Rippe ] -- ribbed, adjective |
