| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| ribbon |
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| SYLLABICATION: | rib·bon |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  r b  n |
| NOUN: | 1. A narrow strip or band of fine fabric, such as satin or velvet, finished at the edges and used for trimming, tying, or finishing. 2a. Something, such as a tape measure, that resembles a ribbon. b. A long thin strip: a ribbon of land along the shore. 3. ribbons Tattered or ragged strips: a dress torn to ribbons. 4. An inked strip of cloth used for making an impression, as in a typewriter. 5a. A band of colored cloth signifying membership in an order or the award of a prize. b. A strip of colored cloth worn on the left breast of a uniform to indicate the award of a medal or decoration. 6. ribbons Informal Reins for driving horses. 7. See ledger board (sense 2). | | TRANSITIVE VERB: | Inflected forms: rib·boned, rib·bon·ing, rib·bons
1. To decorate or tie with ribbons. 2. To tear into ribbons or shreds. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Middle English ribban, riban, from Old French ruban, probably of Germanic origin. See bhendh- in Appendix I. | | OTHER FORMS: | ribbon·y —ADJECTIVE
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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