ribald
[ rib-uhld; spelling pronunciation rahy-buhld ]
/ ˈrɪb əld; spelling pronunciation ˈraɪ bəld /
adjective
vulgar or indecent in speech, language, etc.; coarsely mocking, abusive, or irreverent; scurrilous.
noun
a ribald person.
RELATED WORDS
naughty, sly, rude, off-color, racy, coarse, bawdy, lewd, foul-mouthed, blue, gross, purple, fast, raw, rogue, base, rough, devilish, earthy, filthy
Nearby words
Origin of ribald
1200–50; Middle English ribald, ribaud (noun) < Old French ribau(l)d, equivalent to rib(er) to be licentious (< Old High German rīben to copulate, be in heat, literally, rub) + -au(l)d, -alt < Frankish *-wald a suffix in personal names, derivative of *walden to rule; compare parallel development of -ard
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ribald
ribald
/ (ˈrɪbəld) /
adjective
coarse, obscene, or licentious, usually in a humorous or mocking way
noun
a ribald person
Word Origin for ribald
C13: from Old French ribauld, from riber to live licentiously, of Germanic origin
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
ribald
c.1500, from ribald, ribaud (n.), mid-13c., "a rogue, ruffian, rascall, scoundrell, varlet, filthie fellow" [Cotgrave], from Old French ribaut, ribalt "rogue, scoundrel, lewd lover," also as an adjective, "wanton, depraved, dissolute, licentious," of uncertain origin, perhaps (with suffix -ald) from riber "be wanton, sleep around, dally amorously," from a Germanic source (cf. Old High German riban "be wanton," literally "to rub," possibly from the common euphemistic use of "rub" words to mean "have sex"), from Proto-Germanic *wribanan, from PIE root *wer- (3) "to turn, bend" (see versus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper