It [lead] were too gross To rib her cerecloth in the obscure grave.
Shak.
To rib land, to leave strips of undisturbed ground between the furrows
in plowing.
Rib"ald (?), n./ [OE. ribald, ribaud, F. ribaud, OF. ribald, ribault,
LL. ribaldus, of German origin; cf. OHG hrpa prostitute. For the ending
-ald cf. E. Herald.] A low, vulgar, brutal, foul-mouthed wretch; a lewd
fellow. Spenser. Pope.
Ribald was almost a class name in the feudal system . . . He was
his patron's parasite, bulldog, and tool . . . It is not to be
wondered at that the word rapidly became a synonym for everything
ruffianly and brutal.
Earle.
Rib"ald, a. Low; base; mean; filthy; obscene.
The busy day, Waked by the lark, hath roused the ribald crows.
Shak.
Rib"ald*ish, a. Like a ribald. Bp. Hall.