name, noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level
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"The scrum is a distinctive element of rugby."
"I don't know why, but for some reason people who work undercover for department store security always wear rugbies and khakis."
"Rugby is a sport which is never called off by rain."
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.
Common synonyms include: rugby football, acrobatics, athletics, bathing, bingo, checkers.
Rugby is a sport which is never called off by rain.
Pronounced /ˈɹʌɡbi/.
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”)).
Genericized trademark from Rugby, a brand of rubber cement by Bostik.
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”).