rugby
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rugby¹
- /ˈɹʌɡbi/ US, UK
- /ˈɹʊɡbi/ Northern England
- /ˈɾʌɡbe/ Scotland
- /-bɪ/ Scotland
- /-bi/ Scotland
- /ˈɾʌɡbi/ Wales
Where it comes from
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”)).
noun rugbies · Rugby
-
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.
The scrum is a distinctive element of rugby.
Similar: rugger
- The form of the game known as rugby union (see the usage note).
- 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”). I don't know why, but for some reason people who work undercover for department store security always wear rugbies and khakis.
verb rugbies · rugbying · rugbied
- To play rugby.
rugby²
- /ˈɹʌɡbi/ US, UK
- /ˈɹʊɡbi/ Northern England
- /ˈɾʌɡbe/ Scotland
- /-bɪ/ Scotland
- /-bi/ Scotland
- /ˈɾʌɡbi/ Wales
Where it comes from
Genericized trademark from Rugby, a brand of rubber cement by Bostik.
noun rugbys
- Rubber cement, contact cement; commonly associated with solvent abuse, as it is often used as an inhalant.
Rugby³
- /ˈɹʌɡbi/ UK
Where it comes from
From earlier Rokeby (rook + -by), from Middle English Rokebi, an alteration (using the Middle English bi (“village, town”), from Old Norse býr (“town, settlement”)) of Old English Rocheberie, possibly from earlier Old English *Hrōceburh (literally “rook-fort, Rookbury”).
proper noun Rokeby
- A town in Warwickshire, England, where the sport of rugby is thought to have originated (OS grid ref SP5075).
- A local government district with borough status in Warwickshire, with its headquarters in the town.
- An unincorporated community in Las Animas County, Colorado.
- An unincorporated community in Haw Creek Township, Bartholomew County, Indiana.
- A city, the county seat of Pierce County, North Dakota.
- An unincorporated community in Morgan County and Scott County, Tennessee.
- An unincorporated community in Grayson County, Virginia.
- A village in Hilltops council area, New South Wales, Australia.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: rugby football, rugger, football, lam, ball, federation, rugby union, rugby league, union, league, nrl, rwc, footy, fifteens, rugby sevens, sevens
Translations
Every language
noun form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball
| Español | rugby, rugbi |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 럭비 reokbi |
| 日本語 | ラグビー ragubī |
| 中文 | 橄欖球 /橄榄球 gǎnlǎnqiú |
| हिन्दी | रग्बी ragbī |
| Kiswahili | raga, gori, naga |
| Português | rugby, râguebi, rúgbi |
| Français | rugby |
| Deutsch | Rugby |
| Italiano | rugby |
| Ελληνικά | ράγκμπι rágkmpi |
| Română | rugby, rugbi |
| Русский | ре́гби régbi |
| Tiếng Việt | bóng bầu dục |
| العربية | رَغْبِي raḡbī, رَجْبِي rajbī, رَكْبِي rakbī |
| עברית | רוגבי |
Talk about this word "rugby." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rugby. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rugby. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rugby "rugby." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rugby.Cite this
@misc{rugby_2026,
title = {rugby},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rugby},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
