Etymologically
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rubbish

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 00:21. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈɹʌbɪʃ/[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English robous, robys,[2][3][4][5] found in Anglo-French rubouses (1392–93),[2][3] a word of unknown origin.[2][3][5] It appears to be related in some way to rubble.[3][5] The ending -ish may come from a mistaken association with the verb rub.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Waste or refuse, especially debris from the decay or demolition of buildings (1392–3).[6][2][3]

Semantic evolution

The spelling with -ish appears in the late 15th century (1477).[2][3] By about 1600 the word meant any worthless stuff, and also a worthless person;[3][6] by 1612 it meant nonsensical ideas or writing.[6] It has been used as an exclamation, “nonsense!”, since 1863.[6][1] The verb, to criticize harshly, is Australian and New Zealand slang from 1953.[2][3][6]

Timeline

  • 1392–3 – debris, refuse.[6][2]
  • 1477 – the spelling robish.[2]
  • 1601 – worthless stuff.[6]
  • 1612 – nonsense.[6]
  • 1863 – as an interjection.[6]
  • 1953 – verb, to disparage.[6][2][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. Waste material; refuse or trash.
  2. Worthless material or things.
  3. Foolish talk or writing; nonsense.

Verb

  1. (chiefly Australian, New Zealand and British) To criticize harshly.

Interjection

  1. Nonsense!

Word family

  • rubbishy
  • rubble
  • trash
  • garbage

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press