Where does “rib” come from?

Rib comes from Old English ribb, from Proto-West Germanic ribi, from Proto-Germanic ribjō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁rebʰ-.

rib (English): Any of a series of long curved bones occurring in...

Definitions

  1. Any of a series of long curved bones occurring in...

Ancestry of “rib”, step by step

rib traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English rib

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishrib—
2Old Englishribbrib
3Proto-West Germanicribb—
4Proto-Germanicribjąrib; reef, ridge
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁rebʰ-to cover, to roof; rib

via Middle English ribbe

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishribberib
2Old Englishribbehound's-tongue

Words derived from “rib”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁rebʰ- →