ribald
/ˈɹɪb.əld/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.08 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Coarsely, vulgarly, or lewdly amusing; referring to sexual matters in a rude or irreverent way.
Example Sentences
- "[L]et no zealous Christian trust the rogue,—the filthy ribald rascal is a liar."
- "But when he died the "Reform Democracy" instinctively returned to its vomit of ribald insult."
- "[T]he curious crowd had collected in the street […], with here and there a scoffer uttering his incredulity and courage with scornful remarks or ribald cries."
- "Anyway up against Reba McEntire, '60s-rock-bred big city escapee K.T. Oslin comes off both more ribald ("Younger Men") and prouder of the bras and bridges she used to burn ("'8s Ladies") in her best country hits."
- "Baron Cohen turns his attentions back towards England, satirising the Establishment’s contempt for what Nobby himself proudly calls “scum” with ribald and corrosive glee."
- "The “South Park” social media account responded, “Wait, so we ARE relevant?” and added a ribald hashtag."
Etymology
From Middle English ribald, from Old French ribaud, ribauld (“rogue, scoundrel”) ( > English ribaud), from Old French riber (“to be licentious”), from Frankish *rīban (“to copulate, be in heat”, literally “to rub”), from Proto-Germanic *wrībaną (“to turn, twist, writhe”), from Proto-Indo-European *werp-, *werb- (“to turn, twist”) + Old French -aud, from Frankish *-wald. Related to Old High German rīban (“to rub”), German reiben (“to rub”), Dutch wrijven (“to rub”). Compare also Old High German hrība (“prostitute”). See also English wrap.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈɹɪb.əld/
- British English: /ˈɹɪb.əld/
Inflected Forms
ribalder (comparative)
more ribald (comparative)
ribaldest (superlative)
most ribald (superlative)
ribauld (alternative)
ribalds (plural)