Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rubbing

/ˈɹʌbɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.71 in modern English

Syllables: rub-bing
IPA: /ˈɹʌbɪŋ/

12

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An impression of an embossed or incised surface made by placing a piece of paper over it and rubbing with graphite, crayon or other coloring agent.

verb

present participle and gerund of rub

Example Sentences

"He was delighted to come across a little-worn crest of the old Great Eastern Railway, never dreaming that such a relic would still be in use, and was taking a pencil-rubbing to add to his collection."

Etymology

From Middle English rubbinge, rubbynge, equivalent to rub + -ing.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: rubbinge
Suffix: rub

Inflected Forms

rubbings (plural)

Derived Forms

allorubbing rubbingly

Phrases

beach rubbing brass rubbing rubbing alcohol rubbing machine rubbing off rubbing oil rubbing post rubbing stone

Synonyms

friction detrition

Rhymes With

scrubbing clubbing dubbing subbing snubbing drubbing grubbing blubbing flubbing pubbing

Questions

How do you pronounce rubbing?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɹʌbɪŋ/.
What does rubbing mean?: An impression of an embossed or incised surface made by placing a piece of paper over it and rubbing with graphite, crayon or other coloring agent.
Where does rubbing come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce rubbing

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “rubbing”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈɹʌbɪŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “rubbing”.
Repeat and practice — Say “rubbing” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.