English Explanatory Dictionary

rugby

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball; rugby football. The ball cannot be handled forwards and points are scored by touching the ball to the ground in the area past the opponent's territory or by kicking the ball between goalposts and over a crossbar.
  2. The form of the game known as rugby union (see the usage note).
  3. Ellipsis of rugby shirt (“a shirt of the kind worn by rugby players, usually short-sleeved and with a buttoned opening at the neck like a polo shirt, but with a stiffer collar”).
verb
  1. To play rugby.
noun
  1. Rubber cement, contact cement; commonly associated with solvent abuse, as it is often used as an inhalant.
name
  1. A town in Warwickshire, England, where the sport of rugby is thought to have originated (OS grid ref SP5075).
  2. A local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, with its headquarters in the town.
  3. A number of places in the United States:
  4. An unincorporated community in Las Animas County, Colorado.
  5. An unincorporated community in Haw Creek Township, Bartholomew County, Indiana.
  6. A city, the county seat of Pierce County, North Dakota.
  7. An unincorporated community in Morgan County and Scott County, Tennessee.
  8. An unincorporated community in Grayson County, Virginia.
  9. A village in Hilltops council area, New South Wales, Australia.

Pronunciation

/ˈɹʌɡbi/ En-us-rugby.ogg /ˈɹʊɡbi/ /ˈɾʌɡbe/ /-bɪ/ /-bi/ /ˈɾʌɡbi/ rŭgʹbi

Word forms

rugby rugbies rugbying rugbied rugbys Rokeby

Etymology

From the name of Rugby School in Rugby, in Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom, where the modern game was developed in the 19th century. The place name Rugby is attested in the Domesday Book as Old English Rocheberie (probably equivalent to rook (“Corvus frugilegus, a bird of the crow family”) + -by (suffix indicating a village or town)), possibly from *Hrōcebyriġ, dative singular of *Hrōceburh, from hrōc (“rook”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“to crow”)) + burh, burg (“castle, fort, stronghold; city; town”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“hill, mountain; high, lofty; to rise”)).

Synonyms

rugger

Related words

American football association football Canadian football football rugby football

Derived words

chesterfield rugby flag rugby mini rugby nonrugby quad rugby rippa rugby rugby ball rugby boot rugbyesque rugby fives rugby football rugby footballer rugby head rugbyist rugby league rugbylike rugby pass rugby player rugby sevens rugby shirt rugby tackle rugby union rugger tag rugby touch rugby underwater rugby wheelchair rugby rugby boy Rugbeian
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