rubbish

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*rubbōną“to rub, scrape”
2. Old Norse · derived fromrubba“to huddle, crowd together, heap up", also possibly "to rub, scrape”
3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromrubous
4. Middle English · inherited fromrobous“rubbish, building rubble”
5. English todayrubbish

Inherited from Middle English robous (“rubbish, building rubble”), further origin uncertain; possibly from Anglo-Norman rubous, rubouse, rubbouse (“refuse, waste material; building rubble”), and compare Anglo-Latin rebbussa, robousa, robusium, robusum, rubisum, rubusa, rubusium (although the Anglo-Norman and Anglo-Latin words may be derived from the English word instead of the other way around, as there are no known Old French cognates of the word). The English word may be related to rubble, though the connection is unclear. Possibly derived ultimately from Old Norse rubba (“to huddle, crowd together, heap up", also possibly "to rub, scrape”), from Proto-Germanic *rubbōną (“to rub, scrape”). Compare Swedish rubba (“to move, displace, dislodge, upset”). The verb is derived from the noun.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from c. 1950s (Australia, New Zealand) To criticize, to denigrate, to denounce, to disparage.