Wiktionary

ribbon

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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a gymnast competing in the ribbon event
 
actor Steve Carell wearing an awareness ribbon
 
The emoji for ribbon: see the entry at 🎀.

Etymology

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From Middle English riban, ryban, ryband, from Old French riban, ruban ( > modern French ruban), of uncertain origin. Likely from a Germanic compound whose second element is cognate with English band. Compare Middle Dutch ringhband (“necklace”, literally “ring-band”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈɹɪbən/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪbən

Noun

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ribbon (countable and uncountable, plural ribbons)

  2. A long, narrow strip of material used for decoration of clothing or the hair or gift wrapping.
    • 1648, Robert Herrick, “Delight in Disorder”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC, page 29:
      A Svveet diſorder in the dreſſe / Kindles in cloathes a vvantonneſſe: / […] / A Cuffe neglectfull, and thereby / Ribbands to flovv confuſedly: / […] / Do more bevvitch me, than vvhen Art / Is too preciſe in every part.
  3. An awareness ribbon.
    • 2018 October 1, Olivia B. Waxman, “Wearing a Pink Ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness? Here's How Awareness Ribbons Became a Thing”, in Time‎[1]:
      With Monday marking the beginning of October’s annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month observance, supporters will be donning their pink ribbons as a show of support for ongoing research for a cure.
  4. An inked strip of material against which type is pressed to print letters in a typewriter or printer.
    • 2018, Mark J. P. Wolf, The Routledge Companion to Media Technology and Obsolescence:
      They were single-shift, frontstroke, typebar typewriters with four-bank QWERTY keyboards, inked by a ribbon.
  5. A narrow strip or shred.
    a steel or magnesium ribbon
    sails torn to ribbons
    1. (cooking) In ice cream and similar confections, an ingredient (often chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, or fudge) added in a long narrow strip.
  6. (shipbuilding) Alternative form of ribband
  7. (nautical) A painted moulding on the side of a ship.
  8. A watchspring.
  9. A bandsaw.
  10. (slang, dated, in the plural) Reins for a horse.
    • 1887, James Inglis, Our New Zealand Cousins:
      "Here, sir, hold the ribbons." This to me, throwing me the reins. Jack got down from his perch, and after a little search in the bush was rewarded by the capture of the poor dazed pigeon, who was consigned to safe custody in the boot.
  11. (heraldry) A bearing similar to the bend, but only one eighth as wide.
  12. (spinning) A sliver.
  13. (journalism) A subheadline presented above its parent headline.
  14. (computing, graphical user interface) A toolbar that incorporates tabs and menus.

Alternative forms

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Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • → Japanese: リボン (ribon)
  • → Korean: 리본 (ribon)

Translations

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Translations to be checked

See also

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Verb

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ribbon (third-person singular simple present ribbons, present participle ribboning, simple past and past participle ribboned)

  1. (transitive) To decorate with ribbon.
    Synonym: beribbon
  2. (transitive) To stripe or streak.

Anagrams

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Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=ribbon&oldid=82420001"
  NODES
Note 1
Verify 3