Where does “rugby” come from?

Rugby is an English word of unknown origin that entered Cebuano through borrowing and was subsequently re-borrowed back into English in a cyclical pattern.

rugby (English): A form of football in which players can hold or...

Definitions

  1. A form of football in which players can hold or...

Ancestry of “rugby”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Cebuanorugbyrubber cement, contact cement; the sport of rugby
2EnglishRugbywhere the sport of rugby is thought to have originated OS grid ref SP5075
3EnglishRokebyA placename
4Old Norsebýbee
5Proto-Germanicbiją—
6Proto-Germanicbijǭbee
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰey-bee

Words derived from “rugby”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰey- →Every word from Proto-Germanic bijǭ →Every word from Proto-Germanic biją →