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Origin and history of rub

rub(v.)

early 14c., rubben, transitive and intransitive, "apply friction on a surface; massage (the body or a part of it)," a word of uncertain origin, perhaps related to East Frisian rubben "to scratch, rub," and Low German rubbeling "rough, uneven," or similar words in Scandinavian (compare Danish rubbe "to rub, scrub," Norwegian rubba), all of uncertain origin. Related: Rubbed; rubbing.

To rub noses in greeting as a sign of friendship (attested from 1822) said to have been formerly common among Eskimos, Maoris, and some other Pacific Islanders. Rub out is from late 14c. as "scrape away," also figurative; the meaning "obliterate" is from 1560s; underworld slang sense of "kill" is recorded from 1848, American English. Rub off "remove by rubbing" is from 1590s; rub off on "have an influence on" is recorded by 1959.

rub(n.)

"act of rubbing," 1610s, from rub (v.). Earlier it meant "obstacle, inequality on ground" (1580s), a sense common in 17c., especially in the game of bowls, in reference to something that slows or deflects a bowl, on the notion of "rubbing against" it. Hence the figure in Hamlet's there's the rub (1602). The earlier noun was rubbing (late 14c.).

also from 1610s

Entries linking to rub

rubber(n.1)

1530s, "thing that rubs" (a brush, cloth, etc.), agent noun from rub (v.). By c. 1600 as "one who applies friction or massage in some process."

The meaning "elastic substance from tropical plants" is recorded by 1788, short for India rubber. Earlier known also as catouchou, caoutchouc, it was introduced to Europe 1744 by Charles Marie de la Condamine, so called because it originally was used to erase pencil marks from paper, etc. Later extended to synthetic substances having the same qualities.

This substance is very useful in drawing, &c., for erasing the strokes of black lead pencils, and is popularly called rubber, and lead-eater. [from the entry for Caoutchouc in George Selby Howard, "New Royal Cyclopaedia," 1788]

The meaning "an overshoe made of rubber" is 1842, American English; slang sense of "contraceptive sheath, condom" is by 1930s. As an adjective by 1844, "In very common use from about 1875" [OED]. Some figurative phrases are from the notion of rubber automobile tires.

Rubber cement "adhesive compound containing rubber" is attested from 1856 (from 1823 as India-rubber cement). Rubber check (one that "bounces") is from 1927. The decorative household rubber plant is so called by 1876 (earlier India-rubber plant, by 1805). Rubber-chicken circuit "after-dinner speaking tour" is by 1959, in reference to the likely quality of the food.

rub-down(n.)

also rub-down, "an act of rubbing down," by 1885, from verbal phrase, from rub (v.) + down (adv.).

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    scratch
    c. 1400, scracchen, transitive, "mark or wound slightly on the surface by a scraping or tearing action with something rough, sharp, or pointed," probably a fusion of Middle English scratten and crachen, both meaning "to scratch," both of uncertain origin. Also compare scr-. Relat
    hitch
    mid-15c., probably from Middle English icchen "to move as with jerks or pauses; to stir" (c. 1200), a word of unknown origin. The connection with icchen might be in notion of "hitching up" pants or boots with a jerking motion. Sense of "become fastened," especially by a hook, fir
    snag
    1570s, "stump of a tree, branch," a word of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse snagi "clothes peg," snaga "a kind of ax," snag-hyrndr "with sharp points" ("snag-cornered"). The connecting notion seems to be "sharp protuberance, projecting point." The general meaning, in refer
    friction
    Latin frictionem (nominative frictio) "a rubbing, rubbing down," noun of action from past-participle stem of fricare "to rub..., rub down," which is of uncertain origin....Watkins suggests possibly from PIE root *bhreie- "to rub, break."...
    attrition
    attritionem (nominative attritio), literally "a rubbing against," noun of action from past-participle stem of atterere "to wear, rub...away," figuratively "to destroy, waste," from assimilated form of ad "to" (see ad-) + terere "to rub" (from PIE root *tere...- (1) "to rub, turn")....
    friable
    powder," 1560s, from French friable (16c.) and directly from Latin friabilis "easily crumbled or broken," from friare "rub...away, crumble into small pieces," related to fricare "to rub" (see friction)....
    detritus
    ), from Latin detritus "a wearing away," from detri-, stem of detere "wear away," from de "away" (see de-) + terere "to rub..., wear" (from PIE root *tere- (1) "to rub, turn")....
    adjoin
    c. 1300, "unite (something to something else), ally" (a sense now obsolete); late 14c. as "be contiguous with, be adjacent to," from Old French ajoin- stem of ajoindre "join together, unite," from Latin adiungere "fasten on, harness, join to," from ad "to" (see ad-) + iungere "to
    scour
    c. 1200, scouren, "cleanse by hard rubbing," probably via Middle Dutch scuren, schuren "to polish, to clean," and from Old French escurer, both from Late Latin excurare (Medieval Latin scurare) "clean off," literally "take good care of," from Latin ex "out," or here perhaps inten
    scrape
    early 13c., scrapen, "make erasures (with a knife), erase" (a sense now obsolete); by late 14c. as "to remove (an outer layer) with a sharp or rough instrument," probably in part from Old Norse skrapa "to scrape, erase" and in part from cognate Old English scrapian "to scrape," b

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