ribald
/ˈɹɪb.əld/ adjective, noun
Forms ribalder ribaldest ribalds ribauld
- adjective Coarsely, vulgarly, or lewdly amusing; referring to sexual matters in a rude or irreverent way.
- noun A person who is filthy or vulgar in nature.
Synonyms
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A low, vulgar, brutal, foul-mouthed wretch; a lewd fellow.
- adjective Low; base; mean; filthy; obscene.
Etymology [OE. ribald, ribaud, F. ribaud, OF. ribald, ribault, LL. ribaldus, of German origin; cf. OHG hripa prostitute. For the ending -ald cf. E. Herald.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ribald”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details