Emily Dickinson Lexicon

RIB'ALD-RY, n. [It. ribalderia.]

Mean, vulgar language; chiefly, obscene language. – Dryden. Swift.

RIB'AN, n.

In heraldry, the eighth part of a bend. – Encyc.

RIB'BED, pp. [or adj.]

1. Furnished with ribs; as, ribbed with steel. – Sandys.
2. Inclosed as with ribs. – Shak.
3. Marked or formed with rising lines and channels; as, ribbed cloth.

RIB'IN, n. [W. rhibin, a row or streak, a dribblet; rhib, id. Ir. ruibin; Fr. ruban; Arm. rubanou. This word has no connection with band, and the common orthography is grossly erroneous.]

1. A fillet of silk; a narrow web of silk used for an ornament, as a badge, or for fastening some part of female dress. – Dryden.
2. In naval architecture, a long narrow flexible piece of timber, nailed upon the outside of the ribs from the stem to the stern-post, so as to encompass the ship lengthwise; the principal are the floor-ribin and the breadth-ribin. – Mar. Dict.

RIB'IN, v.t.

To adorn with ribins. – Beaum.

RIB'LESS, a.

Having no ribs.

RIB'ROAST, v.t. [rib and roast.]

To beat soundly; a burlesque word. Butler.

RIB'ROAST-ED, pp.

Soundly beaten.

RIB'ROAST-ING, ppr.

Beating soundly.

RIB-SUP-PORT-ED, a.

Supported by ribs.

RIB'WORT, n.

A plant of the genus Plantago.

RIC, a. [-RIC.]

As a termination of names, denotes rich or powerful, as in Alfric, Frederick, like the Greek Polycrates and Plutarchus. It is the first syllable of Richard; Sax. ric, rice. [See Rich.]

RIC, or RICK, n. [-RIC, or -RICK.]

As a termination, denotes jurisdiction, or a district over which government is exercised, as in bishoprick; Sax. cyne-ric, king-ric. It is the Goth. reiki, dominion, Sax. rice or ric; from the same root as L. rego, to rule, and region.

RICE, n. [Fr. riz or ris; It. riso; Sp. and Port. arroz; G. reiz or reiss; D. ryst; Dan. ris; L. oryza; Gr. ορυζα; Eth. rez; Ar. أَرُزٌ arozon; from the verb أَرَزَ araza, to be contracted, or to be firmly fixed. The word is common to most of the Asiatics, Persians, Turks, Armenians and Tartars.]

A plant of the genus Oryza, and its seed. There is only one species. This plant is cultivated in all warm climates, and the grain forms a large portion of the food of the inhabitants. In America, it grows chiefly on low moist land, which can be overflowed. It is a light and nutritious food, and very easy of digestion. Indeed it seems intended by the wise and benevolent Creator to be a common article of food for men in warm climates.

RICE'-BIRD, or RICE'-BUNT-ING, n.

A bird of the United States, the Emberiza oryzivora; so named from its feeding on rice in the Southern States. In New England, it is called bob-lincoln. – Wilson.

RICE'-PA-PER, n.

A material brought from China, and used for painting upon, and for the manufacture of fancy articles. It is said to be a membrane of the bread-fruit tree.

RICH, a. [Fr. riche; Sp. rico; It. ricco; Sax. ric, rice, ricca; D. ryk; G. reich; Sw. rik; Dan. rig, riig. This word in Saxon signifies great, noble, powerful, as well as rich. It is probable therefore it is connected with ric, dominion, L. rego, regnum, Eng. reach, region, from extending.]

1. Wealthy; opulent; possessing a large portion of land, goods or money, or a larger portion than is common to other men or to men of like rank. A farmer may be rich with property which would not make a nobleman rich. An annual income of £500 sterling would make a rich vicar, but not a rich bishop. Men more willingly acknowledge others to be richer, than to be wiser than themselves. Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver and in gold. – Gen. xiii.
2. Splendid; costly; valuable; precious; sumptuous; as, a rich dress; a rich border; a rich silk; rich furniture; a rich present.
3. Abundant in materials; yielding great quantities of any thing valuable; as, a rich mine; rich ore.
4. Abounding in valuable ingredients or qualities; as, a rich odor or flavor; rich spices. – Waller. Baker. So we say, a rich description; a discourse, rich in ideas.
5. Full of valuable achievements or works. Each minute shall be rich in some great action. – Rowe.
6. Fertile; fruitful, capable of producing large crops or quantities; as, a rich soil; rich land; rich mold. Philips.
7. Abundant; large; as, a rich crop.
8. Abundant; affording abundance; plentiful. The gorgeous East with richest hand / Pours on her sons barbaric pearl and gold. – Milton.
9. Full of beautiful scenery; as, a rich landscape; a rich prospect.
10. Abounding with elegant colors; as, a rich picture.
11. Plentifully stocked; as, pasture rich in flocks.
12. Strong; vivid; perfect; as, a rich color.
13. Having something precious; as, a grove of rich trees. – Milton.
14. Abounding with nutritious qualities; as, a rich diet.
15. Highly seasoned; as, rich paste; a rich dish of food.
16. Abounding with a variety of delicious food; as, a rich table or entertainment.
17. Containing abundance beyond wants; as, a rich treasury.
18. In music, full of sweet or harmonious sounds.
19. In Scripture, abounding; highly endowed with spiritual gifts, as, rich in faith. – James ii.
20. Placing confidence in outward prosperity. – Matth. xix.
21. Self-righteous; abounding, in one's own opinion, with spiritual graces. – Rev. iii. Rich in mercy, spoken of God, full of mercy, and ready to bestow good things on sinful men. – Eph. ii. Rom. x. The rich, used as a noun, denotes a rich man or person, or more frequently in the plural, rich men or persons. The rich hath many friends. – Prov. xiv.

RICH, v.t.

To enrich. [Not used. See Enrich.] – Gower.

RICH'ED, pp.

Enriched. [Not used.] – Shak.

RICH'ER, a. [comp.]

More rich.

RICH'ES, n. [Fr. richesse; It. ricchezza; Sp. riqueza. This is in the singular number in fact, but treated as the plural.]

1. Wealth; opulence; affluence; possessions of land, goods or money in abundance. Riches do not consist in having more gold and silver, but in having more in proportion than our neighbors. – Locke.
2. Splendid sumptuous appearance. The riches of heaven's pavement, trodden gold. – Milton.
3. In scripture, an abundance of spiritual blessings. – Luke xvi. The riches of God, his fullness of wisdom, power, mercy, grace and glory, Eph. i. ii; or the abundance supplied by his works. – Ps. civ. The riches of Christ, his abundant fullness of spiritual and eternal blessings for men. – Eph. iii. The riches of a state or kingdom, consist less in a full treasury than in the productiveness of its soil and manufactures, and in the industry of its inhabitants.

RICH'EST, a. [superl.]

Most rich.

RICH'LY, adv.

1. With riches; with opulence; with abundance of goods or estate; with ample funds; as, a hospital richly endowed. In Belmont is a lady richly left. – Shak.
2. Gayly; splendidly; magnificently; as, richly dressed, richly ornamented.
3. Plenteously; abundantly; amply; as, to be richly paid for services. The reading of ancient authors will richly reward us for the perusal.
4. Truly; really; abundantly; fully; as, a chastisement richly deserved. – Addison.

RICH'LY-WOOD-ED, a.

Abounding with wood. – Irving.

RICH'NESS, n.

1. Opulence; wealth. – Sidney.
2. Finery; splendor. – Johnson.
3. Fertility; fecundity; fruitfulness; the qualities which render productive; as, the richness of a soil. – Addison.
4. Fullness; abundance; as, the richness of a treasury.
5. Quality of abounding with something valuable; as, the richness of a mine or an ore; the richness of milk or of cane-juice.
6. Abundance of any ingredient or quality; as, the richness of spices or of fragrance.
7. Abundance of beautiful scenery; as, the richness of landscape or prospect.
8. Abundance of nutritious qualities; as, the richness of diet.
9. Abundance of high seasoning; as, the richness of cake.
10. Strength; vividness; or whatever constitutes perfection; as, the richness of color or coloring.
11. Abundance of imagery or of striking ideas; as, richness of description.