Meanings
plural Reubens · alternative Ruben · alternative Rubin · alternative diminutive Rube
- countableuncountableA male given name from Hebrew.
- countableuncountableA surname transferred from the given name
- abbreviationcountableellipsisinformaluncountableOxford UniversityEllipsis of Reuben College, Oxford.
plural Reubens · alternative Ruben · alternative Rubin · alternative diminutive Rube
- A grilled or toasted sandwich made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and either Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA member of one of the Israelite tribes, descended from Reuben.
Origin
- Hebrewרְאוּבֵן
- EnglishReuben
* From Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (r'uvén), from רְאוּ (r'ú, “see [masculine plural imperative]”) + בֵּן (ben, “son”); its literal meaning is therefore roughly, "See, all: a son!" * There are several unconfirmed etymologies for the name of the sandwich.
More words from Hebrew
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek Ῥουβήν
- Ῥουβήν (Rhoubḗn)first son of Jacob
Arabic روبين
- روبين (rubin)first son of Jacob
Bulgarian Рувим, Рувим
- Рувим (Ruvim)first son of Jacob
- Рувим (Ruvim)male given name
- Рубен (Ruben)grilled or toasted sandwich
- Рувим (Ruvim)member of tribe
Catalan Rubèn, Rubèn
- Rubènfirst son of Jacob
- Rubènmale given name
- Rubènmember of tribe
Chinese Mandarin 流便
- 流便 (Liúbiàn)first son of Jacob
Danish Ruben, Ruben
- Rubenfirst son of Jacob
- Rubenmale given name
Dutch Ruben, Ruben
- Rubenfirst son of Jacob
- Rubenmale given name
- Rubenmember of tribe
Estonian Ruuben, Ruuben
- Ruubenfirst son of Jacob
- Ruubenmale given name
Finnish Ruuben
- Ruubenfirst son of Jacob
French Ruben, Ruben
- Rubenfirst son of Jacob
- Rubenmale given name
German Ruben, Ruben
- Rubenfirst son of Jacob
- Rubenmale given name
Hebrew רְאוּבֵן, רְאוּבֵן
- רְאוּבֵןfirst son of Jacob
- רְאוּבֵןmale given name
- רְאוּבֵןmember of tribe
Hindi रूबेन, रूबेन
- रूबेन (rūben)first son of Jacob
- रूबेन (rūben)male given name
Hungarian Ruben, Rúben
- Rubenmale given name
- Rúbenmale given name
Latin Rūbēn
- Rūbēnfirst son of Jacob
Norwegian Ruben, Ruben
- Rubenfirst son of Jacob
- Rubenmale given name
Portuguese Rúben, Rubem
- Rúbenfirst son of Jacob
- Rubemfirst son of Jacob
- Rubensmale given name
Russian Руви́м, Руви́м
- Руви́м (Ruvím)first son of Jacob
- Руви́м (Ruvím)male given name
- Руви́м (Ruvím)member of tribe
Spanish Rubén, Rubén
- Rubénfirst son of Jacob
- Rubénmale given name
Swedish Ruben, Ruben
- Rubenfirst son of Jacob
- Rubenmale given name
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with Reuben
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
Reuben. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Reuben
“Reuben.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Reuben. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Reuben,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Reuben.
Source: Reuben on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.