Meanings
plural spareribs · alternative spare-rib · alternative spare rib · alternative spear-rib
- A cut of meat including the rib bones.
Spareribs and barbecue sandwiches star on the menu.
2011, Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince, Frommer's Portable Savannah, Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 655 more examples
SPARERIBS AND SAUERKRAUT […] Place sauerkraut in greased baking dish and sprinkle with brown sugar. Brown spareribs under broiler heat, season and place on sauerkraut.
1976, Ruth Berolzheimer, editor, Culinary Arts Institute Encyclopedic Cookbook, new rev. edition, Chicago, Ill.: Culinary Arts Institute, →ISBN, page 384Winter Melon, Pearl Barley, and Sparerib Soup […] Place spareribs, chicken giblets, scallops along with their soaking liquid, pearl barley, orange peel, ginger, and winter melon in a large pot along with 4 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2009, Teresa M. Chen, A Tradition of Soup: Flavors from China's Pearl River Delta, Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books, →ISBN, page 134Texans will want lightly seasoned (with salt and pepper) or unseasoned slow-smoked dry ribs with barbecue sauce or hot sauce on the side – and given their druthers, spareribs will be preferred over baby backs. […] A full slab of pork spareribs should have about 12 rib bones.
2012, Ardie A. Davis, Paul Kirk, America's Best Ribs, Kansas City, Mo.: Andrews McMeel Publishing, →ISBN, page 4Pork spare ribs are the original ribs. They come from the side of the hog and are part rib bone, part cartilage from the sternum of the hog. Historically, the side ribs weren't a desirable part of the hog and were left for the hired help to eat, thus the term "spare."
2012, Ray Lampe, Ribs, Chops, Steaks & Wings: Irresistible Recipes for the Grill, Stovetop, and Oven, San Francisco, Calif.: Chronicle Books, →ISBN, page 18The difference between a St. Louis rib and a spare rib is simply the fact that the end and the breast bone have been cut off. With the breast bone cut off it can be easily sliced between the bones.
2014, Bob Oros, Center of the Plate: Comprehensive Course includes Little Known Industry Secrets, [Raleigh, N.C.]: Lulu, →ISBN, page 46Synonyms: ribspare
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA cut of meat including the rib bones.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*ribją
- Old Saxonribbi
- Middle Low Germanribbespêr“spare-ribs”
- Low Germanribbesper
- Englishsparerib
Probably borrowed from Low German ribbesper, from Middle Low German ribbespêr (“spare-ribs”), from ribbe (“rib”) + sper (“spear; spit”), from Old Saxon ribbi + sper, from Proto-Germanic *ribją + *speru. The word was transposed, with the first element becoming confused with English spare due to folk-etymology. Compare also English ribspare (rare, modern uses dialectal).
More words from Low German, Middle Low German, Old Saxon
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σχελίς
- σχελίς (skhelís)cut of meat including the rib bones
Bulgarian ребърца
- ребърца (rebărca)cut of meat including the rib bones
Finnish luullinen kylkipala, luullinen kylki
- luullinen kylkipalacut of meat including the rib bones
- luullinen kylkicut of meat including the rib bones
- kylki luullacut of meat including the rib bones
French travers de porc
- travers de porccut of meat including the rib bones
German Schälrippchen, Rippchen
- Schälrippchencut of meat including the rib bones
- Rippchencut of meat including the rib bones
- Leiterchencut of meat including the rib bones
Hungarian oldalas
- oldalascut of meat including the rib bones
Indonesian baikut
- baikutcut of meat including the rib bones
Japanese スペアリブ
- スペアリブcut of meat including the rib bones
Māori rara kikoiti
- rara kikoiticut of meat including the rib bones
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sparerib
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
sparerib. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparerib
“sparerib.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparerib. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sparerib,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sparerib.
Source: sparerib on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.