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rebec

or re·beck

[ ree-bek ]
/ ˈri bɛk /

noun

a Renaissance fiddle with a pear-shaped body tapering into a neck that ends in a sickle-shaped or scroll-shaped pegbox.

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Origin of rebec

1745–55; <Middle French; replacing Middle English ribibe<Old French rebebe ≪ Arabic rabābrebab

Words nearby rebec

rebated, rebatement, rebato, rebbe, rebbetzin, rebec, Rebecca, Rebekah, rebel, rebeldom, rebellion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for rebec

British Dictionary definitions for rebec

rebec

rebeck

/ (ˈriːbɛk) /

noun

a medieval stringed instrument resembling the violin but having a lute-shaped body

Word Origin for rebec

C16: from Old French rebebe, from Arabic rebāb; perhaps also influenced by Old French bec beak
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012