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rub

Pronunciation: /ɹʌb/

The English word “rub” has 14 meanings listed here.

noun

  1. An act of rubbing.
  2. A difficulty or problem.
  3. A quip or sarcastic remark.
  4. In the game of crown green bowls, any obstacle by which a bowl is diverted from its normal course.
  5. Any substance designed to be applied by rubbing.
  6. A mixture of spices applied to meat before it is barbecued.
  7. A loan.

verb

  1. To move (one object) while maintaining contact with another object over some area, with pressure and friction.
  2. To be rubbed against something.
  3. To spread a substance thinly over; to smear.
  4. To move or pass with difficulty.
  5. To scour; to burnish; to polish; to brighten; to cleanse; often with up or over.
  6. To hinder; to cross; to thwart.
  7. To touch the jack with the bowl.

Etymology

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…

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.