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Added 7 October 2026

rub

/ɹʌb/ symbol

In Latin: fricō Wiktionary

symbol Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about rub at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

ISO 639-3 language code for Gungu.

noun

An act of rubbing.
Give that lamp a good rub and see if any genies come out.
A difficulty or problem.
A quip or sarcastic remark.

verb

To move (one object) while maintaining contact with another object over some area, with pressure and friction.
I rubbed the cloth over the glass.
To be rubbed against something.
My shoes are beginning to rub.
To spread a substance thinly over; to smear.
meat rubbed with spices before barbecuing

Origin

Inherited from Middle English rubben, of unknown origin; possibly ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rubbōną, related to *reufaną (“to tear”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian rubje (“to rub, scrape”), German Low German rubben (“to rub”), Low German rubblig (“rough, uneven”), Dutch robben, rubben (“to rub smooth; scrape; scrub”), Danish rubbe (“to rub, scrub”), Icelandic and Norwegian rubba (“to scrape”). More at reave. Compare typologically Latin fricō < friō < Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (whence also Russian брить (britʹ, “to shave”)).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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