Library / English Dictionary

RIB

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected forms: ribbed    , ribbing   

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Support resembling the rib of an animal

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("rib" is a kind of...):

support (any device that bears the weight of another thing)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rib"):

screw thread; thread (the raised helical rib going around a screw)

Holonyms ("rib" is a part of...):

hull (the frame or body of ship)

umbrella (a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy)

wing (one of the horizontal airfoils on either side of the fuselage of an airplane)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A projecting molding on the underside of a vault or ceiling; may be ornamental or structural

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("rib" is a kind of...):

molding; moulding (a decorative strip used for ornamentation or finishing)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A riblike supporting or strengthening part of an animal or plant

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("rib" is a kind of...):

anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing and its construction and arrangement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rib"):

calamus; quill; shaft (the hollow spine of a feather)

nervure; vein (one of the horny ribs that stiffen and support the wing of an insect)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Any of the 12 pairs of curved arches of bone extending from the spine to or toward the sternum in humans (and similar bones in most vertebrates)

Synonyms:

costa; rib

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("rib" is a kind of...):

bone; os (rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates)

Meronyms (parts of "rib"):

costal cartilage (the cartilages that connect the sternum and the ends of the ribs; its elasticity allows the chest to move in respiration)

Domain category:

craniate; vertebrate (animals having a bony or cartilaginous skeleton with a segmented spinal column and a large brain enclosed in a skull or cranium)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rib"):

true rib (one of the first seven ribs in a human being which attach to the sternum)

Holonyms ("rib" is a part of...):

craniate; vertebrate (animals having a bony or cartilaginous skeleton with a segmented spinal column and a large brain enclosed in a skull or cranium)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A teasing remark

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("rib" is a kind of...):

comment; input; remark (a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information)

Derivation:

rib (subject to laughter or ridicule)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Cut of meat including one or more ribs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("rib" is a kind of...):

cut; cut of meat (a piece of meat that has been cut from an animal carcass)

Meronyms (parts of "rib"):

rib roast; standing rib roast (a cut of meat (beef or venison) including more than one rib and the meat located along the outside of the ribs)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rib"):

sparerib (a cut of pork ribs with much of the meat trimmed off)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Subject to laughter or ridicule

Example:

His former students roasted the professor at his 60th birthday

Synonyms:

blackguard; guy; jest at; laugh at; make fun; poke fun; rib; ridicule; roast

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "rib" is one way to...):

bemock; mock (treat with contempt)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "rib"):

tease (mock or make fun of playfully)

lampoon; satirise; satirize (ridicule with satire)

debunk; expose (expose while ridiculing; especially of pretentious or false claims and ideas)

stultify (cause to appear foolish)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

rib (a teasing remark)

ribbing (the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Form vertical ribs by knitting

Example:

A ribbed sweater

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Hypernyms (to "rib" is one way to...):

knit (make (textiles) by knitting)

Domain category:

handicraft (a craft that requires skillful hands)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Credits

 Context examples: 

That smooth bark and those small, ribbed leaves seemed familiar to my eyes.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The tray shook as I held it; the water spilt from the glass; my heart struck my ribs loud and fast.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

If you have symptoms, they may include: • Fatigue • Weight loss • Night sweats • Fever • Pain or a feeling of fullness below the ribs on the left side

(Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

The marked inward movement of the muscles between the ribs during inhalation; they indicate that there is reduced pressure in the chest cavity and can be a sign of breathing difficulties.

(Intercostal Retractions, NCI Thesaurus)

The medial margin of the thorax created by the seventh to tenth rib.

(Costal Arch, NCI Thesaurus)

They are located near the middle of your back, just below the rib cage.

(Kidney Diseases, NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Common symptoms may include: • Bone pain, often in the back or ribs • Broken bones • Weakness or fatigue • Weight loss • Repeated infections • Frequent infections and fevers • Feeling very thirsty • Frequent urination

(Multiple Myeloma, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

Symptoms include: • Trouble breathing • Pain under the rib cage • Pain, swelling, or lumps in the abdomen • Weight loss for no known reason

(Mesothelioma, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

The part of the skeleton that includes the skull and spinal column and sternum and ribs.

(Axial Skeleton, NCI Thesaurus)

An artery that originates from the subclavian artery at the lateral margin of the first rib that supplies the brachial artery.

(Axillary Artery, NCI Thesaurus)