Rebec

//ˈɹiːbɛk// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    An early three-stringed instrument, somewhat like a simple violin only pear shaped, played with a bow and used in Medieval and the early Renaissance eras.

    "The villages also must have their visitors to enquire what lectures the bagpipe and the rebbeck reads ev'n to the ballatry, and the gammuth of every municipal fidler, for these are the Countrymans Arcadia's and his Monte Mayors."

Synonyms

All synonyms
baritoneviol

Example

More examples

"The villages also must have their visitors to enquire what lectures the bagpipe and the rebbeck reads ev'n to the ballatry, and the gammuth of every municipal fidler, for these are the Countrymans Arcadia's and his Monte Mayors."

Etymology

From Middle French rebec, alteration of rubebe (see English ribibe), from Arabic رَبَاب (rabāb).

Related phrases

stringed instrument

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.