FromFrenchrébus(“rebus (puzzle); ambiguity; word used in an oblique sense; unintelligible remark”), or directly from its probableetymonLatinrēbus, theablativeplural ofrēs(“object, stuff, thing; issue, matter, subject, topic”), ultimately fromProto-Indo-European*reh₁ís(“goods; wealth”). The connection between the English word and its Latin etymon is unclear.
further etymology
The following possibilities have been suggested, but according to theOxford English Dictionary are problematic:[1]
- According to the French scholarGilles Ménage (1613–1692) inLes origines de la langue françoise (The Origins of the French Language, 1650),[2] it is taken from the phrasederebusquaegeruntur (“concerning the things that are taking place”) which was used in 16th-centuryPicardy as the name for satirical writings on contemporary subjects containing picture-riddles that were composed for an annual carnival. However, the termrebus de Picardie is first attested later than the wordrébus, and so could simply refer to rebuses popular in Picardy at the time.
- Alternatively, it could be from the phrasenōnverbīssedrēbus meaning “not by words but by things”, but this “encounters difficulties in the chronology of the senses in French”.
| Examples (phonetic hint) |
|---|
- 銅 (OC*doːŋ) is made of金 +同(*doːŋ);同 is therebus.
- 疏 (OC*sŋra, *sŋras) is rebus疋(*ŋraːʔ, *sŋra, *sŋraʔ) +㐬.
|
rebus (pluralrebusesor(rare)rebussesor(hypercorrect, rare)rebi)
- Anarrangement ofpictures,symbols, and/orwordsrepresentingphrases or words, especially as a wordpuzzle.
- Synonyms:rebuspuzzle,dingbat
1777,Richard Brinsley Sheridan,The School for Scandal, I.i:I back him at aRebus or a Charade against the best Rhymer in the Kingdom—has your Ladyship heard the Epigram he wrote last week on Lady Frizzle's Feather catching Fire—
- (linguistics) Apictographic component of a compound character (e.g.sinograph) used to hint at the pronunciation of the compound.
- Hypernym:phonetic
- Coordinate term:determinative
- (specifically, heraldry) An arrangement of pictures on acoat of arms whichsuggests thename of theperson to whom itbelongs.
- Coordinate term:cant
2020 March 5,Hilary Mantel, “Salvage: London, Summer 1536”, inThe Mirror & the Light, London:4th Estate,→ISBN,page122:The prior [WillBolton] used to come out here to hunt in summer and recreate himself, and hisrebus—a barrel or tun shot through with a crossbow bolt—is set into the garden walls.
- (crosswording) A type ofcrossword puzzle in which some squares contain entire words, or symbols representing words, instead of single letters.
2008 August 5, Michelle Arnot,Four-Letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider, Penguin,→ISBN, page37:Instead of spelling out card suits, for example, perhaps the constructor inserted a "rebus," or picture icon for clubs, hearts, spades, or diamonds in one answer box.
2021 June 2, Jonathan Berkowitz,The Whirl of Words: Puzzling Past and Present, FriesenPress,→ISBN, page89:Rebuses are a vital part of cryptic crosswords and even themed standard crossword puzzles, as modernized under the leadership of Will Shortz at The New York Times, make use ofrebuses.
2023 November 14, David Bukszpan,Crosswordese: The Weird and Wonderful Language of Crossword Puzzles, Chronicle Books,→ISBN, page34:In the cruciverse, arebus refers to a crossword that violates the basic "one letter per box" rule, requiring the entry of multiple letters - or even a number or symbol - into a single square
arrangement of pictures, etc., representing phrases or words, especially as a word puzzle
arrangement of pictures on a coat of arms which suggests the name of the person to whom it belongs
rebus (third-person singular simple presentrebusesorrebusses,present participlerebusingorrebussing,simple past and past participlerebusedorrebussed)(transitive, obsolete, rare)
- Torepresent (aphrase orword) as arebus.
- Toapply a rebus to (something).
1655,Thomas Fuller, “Section IV. To John Ferrars, of Tamworth Castle, Esquire.”, inThe Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […],→OCLC,(please specify |book=I to XI), subsection 34 (The Death of Archbishop Morton. A.D. 1500.),page539:He [John Morton] was a learned man, and had a fair library, (rebussed withmore in text andtun under it,) partly remaining in the possession of the late earl of Arundel.
- ^“rebus,n.”, inOED Online
, Oxford:Oxford University Press,July 2020;“rebus,n.”, inLexico,Dictionary.com;Oxford University Press,2019–2022. - ^Gilles Ménage (1650)Les origines de la langue françoise [The Origins of the French Language], Paris: Chez Augustin Courbé,→OCLC.
- erubs,Bures,Ubers,burse,Suber,resub,Ruebs,urbes,bures,rubes,Reubs,suber,buers,Burse
Frenchrébus, fromLatinrebus.
rebus
- rebus.
- Mirjejev, V. A., Usejinov, S. M. (2002)Ukrajinsʹko-krymsʹkotatarsʹkyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary][1], Simferopol: Dolya,→ISBN
rebus c (singular definiterebussen,plural indefiniterebusser)
- rebus(puzzle)
rebus
- inessivesingular ofrebu
rebus
- first/second-personsingular past historic ofreboire
rebus m pl
- masculineplural ofrebu
(Thisetymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)
rêbus (activemerebus,passivedirebus,perfective passiveterebus)
- (transitive) toboil(tocook in boiling water)
rêbus
- boiled(cooked in boiling water)
rebus m (invariable)
- rebus
- enigma
- puzzle
- conundrum
rēbus f
- dative/ablativeplural ofrēs(“object, thing, matter”)
rebus (Jawi spellingربوس)
- boiled (food)
rebus
- toboil (food)
Borrowed fromItalianrebus, fromLatinrēbus.
rebus m (pluralrebus)
- mess,clutter
Borrowed fromFrenchrébus.Doublet ofraj(“paradise”).
rebus m inan (diminutiverebusik)
- rebus(puzzle)
Borrowed fromFrenchrébus.
rebus n (pluralrebusuri)
- rebus,crossword
- IPA(key): /rěːbus/
- Hyphenation:re‧bus
rébus m (Cyrillic spellingре́бус)
- rebus
rebus c
- arebus; a kind of word puzzle
, Oxford:Oxford University Press,July 2020;“rebus,n.”, inLexico,Dictionary.com;Oxford University Press,2019–2022.
