rub

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*rubbōną
2. Middle English · inherited fromrubben
3. English todayrub

Inherited from Middle English rubben, of unknown origin; possibly ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rubbōną, a hypothetical variant of *ruppōną (“to tear (off), rip; to wear away, rub”), related to *reufaną (“to tear”) (> English reave). If so, a doublet of rip. Cognate with Saterland Frisian rubje (“to rub, scrape”), German Low German rubben (“to rub”), Low German rubblig (“rough, uneven”), Dutch robben, rubben (“to rub smooth; scrape; scrub”), Danish rubbe (“to rub, scrub”), Icelandic and Norwegian rubba (“to scrape”). More at reave. Compare typologically Latin fricō < friō < Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (whence also Russian брить (britʹ, “to shave”)).

Words from the same roots