rib

1. (n) (anatomy) Any of a series of long curved bones occurring in 12 pairs in humans and other animals and extending from the spine to or toward the sternum. 2. (n) (by extension) A part or piece, similar to a rib, and serving to shape or support something. 3. (n) A cut of meat enclosing one or more rib bones. 4. (n) (nautical) Any of several curved members attached to a ship's keel and extending upward and outward to form the framework of the hull. 5. (n) (aeronautics) Any of several transverse pieces that provide an aircraft wing with shape and strength. 6. (n) (architecture) A long, narrow, usually arched member projecting from the surface of a structure, especially such a member separating the webs of a vault 7. (n) (firearms) A strip of metal running along the top of the barrel that serves as a sighting plane. 8. (n) (knitting) A raised ridge in knitted material or in cloth. 9. (n) (botany) The main, or any of the prominent veins of a leaf. 10. (n) A teasing joke. 11. (n) (Ireland, colloquial) A single strand of hair. 12. (n) A stalk of celery. 13. (v) To shape, support, or provide something with a rib or ribs. 14. (v) To tease or make fun of someone in a good-natured way. 15. (v) To enclose, as if with ribs, and protect; to shut in. 16. (v) (transitive) To leave strips of undisturbed ground between the furrows in ploughing (land). 17. (n) (botany) Hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale). 18. (n) (botany) Costmary (Tanacetum balsamita). 19. (n) (botany) Watercress (Nasturtium officinale). 20. (n) (archaic, literary or humorous) A wife or woman. 21. (n) (Internet) routing information base 22. (n) Acronym of rigid inflatable boat (“a lightweight inflatable boat with a rigid hull”).