ruby

English Online Dictionary. What means ruby‎? What does ruby mean?

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹuː.bi/
• Rhymes: -uːbi

Etymology 1

From Middle English ruby, rube, from Old French rubi, from Medieval Latin rubīnus. Doublet of rubine.

Noun

ruby (countable and uncountable, plural rubies)

2. A clear, deep, red variety of corundum, valued as a precious stone.
3. A deep red colour.
4. (heraldry) The tincture red or gules.
5. A ruby hummer, a South American hummingbird, Clytolaema rubricauda.
6. A red bird-of-paradise, Paradisaea rubra.
8. (uncountable, printing, UK, dated) The size of type between pearl and nonpareil, standardized as 5½-point.

   Synonym: (US) agate

9. (obsolete) A red spinel.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

ruby (comparative more ruby, superlative most ruby)

1. Of a deep red colour.

Translations

Verb

ruby (third-person singular simple present rubies, present participle rubying, simple past and past participle rubied)

1. (transitive, poetic) To make red; to redden.

See also

• carbuncle
• corundum
• spinel
• Ruby on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Further reading

• David Barthelmy (1997–2025) “Ruby”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “ruby”, in Mindat.org‎^[2], Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2025.

Etymology 2

From the British 5½-point type size ruby (etymology 1), used for annotations in printed documents.

Noun

ruby (plural rubies)

2. (typography) A pronunciation guide written above or beside Chinese characters.

Alternative forms

• rubi

Descendants

• → Japanese: ルビ (rubi)

Translations

See also

Further reading

• Ruby characters on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• -bury, Bury, bury

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈrubɪ]

Noun

ruby

1. nominative/accusative/vocative/instrumental plural of rub

Middle English

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Old French rubi, itself borrowed from Latin rubeus.

Alternative forms

• rebe, ribe, rube, rubee, rubie, rybe, ryby

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈriu̯biː/, /ˈriu̯beː/

Noun

ruby (plural rubies)

1. A ruby (red precious stone)
2. (figuratively) A precious individual.

Descendants

• English: ruby

References

• “rubī(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

Verb

ruby

1. Alternative form of robben

Silesian

Alternative forms

• hruby

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *grubъ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈru.bɪ/
• Rhymes: -ubɪ
• Syllabification: ru‧by

Adjective

ruby

1. fat, thick

Declension

Further reading

• ruby in silling.org