rabbet

R1A1B3B3E1T1
/ˈɹæb.ɪt/

noun

A longitudinal channel, groove, or recess cut out of the edge or face of a plank of wood or other material; especially, one intended to fit another member to form a joint.

Similar
rebate
OriginMiddle English rabeten ← Old French raboter →
UncommonScrabble 10
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Meanings

rabbet1

nounrabbet (plural rabbets)

plural rabbets

  1. A longitudinal channel, groove, or recess cut out of the edge or face of a plank of wood or other material; especially, one intended to fit another member to form a joint.

    Cut a deep rabbet along the back edge of the top and bottom of the cabinet. This will be for the ship-lap back to seat into and needs to be large enough to allow the back to be screwed or nailed into place.

    2026 August 28, Logan Wittmer, “Whiskey Cabinet”, in Popular Woodworking, volume 290, number 4, page 54

    Synonyms: rebate

verbrabbet (third-person singular simple present rabbets, present participle rabbeting, simple past and past participle rabbeted)

present singular third person rabbets · participle present rabbeting · participle past rabbeted · past rabbeted

  1. transitiveTo cut a rabbet in a piece of material.

    Synonyms: rebate

rabbet2

nounrabbet (plural rabbets)

plural rabbets

  1. obsoleteObsolete form of rabbit.

    I would fain see him walk in querpo, like a cased rabbet, without his holy furr upon his back, that the world may once behold the inside of a fryar.

    1681, John Dryden, The Spanish fryar

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA longitudinal channel, groove, or recess cut out of the edge or face of a plank of wood or other material; especially, one intended to fit another member to form a joint.

Similar
rebate

verbTo cut a rabbet in a piece of material.

Similar
rebate

More synonyms by meaning

nouna rectangular groove made to hold two pieces together

Similar
rebate
Broader
groovechannel
Also see
rebate

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchrabot
  2. Middle Englishrabet
  3. Old Frenchre-
  4. Old Frenchraboter
  5. Middle Englishrabeten
  6. Englishrabbet

From Middle English rabeten, from Old French raboter, rabouter (“to thrust back”, verb), from Old French re- + boter, bouter. Doublet of rebut. The noun is from Middle English rabet, from Old French rabot, from the verb.

More words from Middle English, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian жлеб, фалц
  • жлеб (žleb)channel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
  • фалц (falc)channel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
Danish fals
  • falschannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
Finnish huullos, huultaa
  • huulloschannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
  • huultaacut a rabbet
French feuillure
  • feuillurechannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
German Nutnaht, Falz
  • Nutnahtchannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
  • Falzchannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
Italian addentellato, addentellare
  • addentellatochannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
  • addentellarecut a rabbet
Māori awaniao
  • awaniaochannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
Norwegian Bokmål fals
  • falschannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
Polish wpust, wręg
  • wpustchannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
  • wręgchannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
  • rowekchannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
  • wycinać wręgcut a rabbet
  • wyciąć wręgcut a rabbet
Russian шпу́нт, шпунтова́ть
  • шпу́нт (špúnt)channel, groove of recess in e.g. wood
  • шпунтова́ть (špuntovátʹ)cut a rabbet
  • фальцева́ть (falʹcevátʹ)cut a rabbet
Swedish fals
  • falschannel, groove of recess in e.g. wood

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with rabbet

rabbithabitinhabitbabbittwabbitcohabitcabbit
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

rabbitrabbitrabbit

Anagrams

tabberbarbet
Cite this entry
APA

rabbet. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rabbet

MLA

“rabbet.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rabbet. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rabbet,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rabbet.

Source: rabbet on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.