Etymology

dibs

D2I1B3S1

Today it means: The right to use or enjoy something exclusively or before anyone else. Full definition →

Arabic دِبْس (dibs) ← Proto-Semitic *dibš-
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dibs · noun, interjection, verb1

Since the early 19th century, of disputed origin. Most commonly thought to be from dibstones (“counters used in a game with the same name”). Also from dib (“to tap”) or related to northern English dip (“small depression in the ground”), or a shortened version of divide.

dibs · noun2

  1. Proto-Semitic*dibš-
  2. Arabicدِبْس (dibs)
  3. English todaydibs

Borrowed from Arabic دِبْس (dibs).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.