Where does “ribald” come from?

ribald (Middle English) comes from Old French ribaud, from Old French riber, from Frankish rīban, from Proto-Germanic wrībaną, from Proto-Indo-European werp-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “ribald”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchribaudscoundrel
2Old Frenchriberto be licentious
3Frankishrībanto copulate, be in heat
4Proto-Germanicwrībanąto rub; to wipe
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwerp-to bend
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “ribald”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European werp- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wrībaną →