rubbingn.
/ˈrʌbɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈrəbɪŋ/ 1.
a. The action of rub v.1 (in various senses); an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > rubbing or friction > [noun]
frotting?c1225
chafinga1398
rubbinga1398
confricationc1400
frettingc1400
attrition1601
fricacing1607
perfrication1607
triture1607
affrication1615
affriction1615
confriction1617
rub1618
frication1631
intertrigation1651
perfriction1656
friction1718
interfrication1747
adhesion1825
chafe1848
interfriction1854
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 99 Þis euel haþ felawschipe of passinge bytynge..& of desiringe of frotynge, rubbinge, cracchinge, and clawinge.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 285 Oon [tusk of an elephant] is alway worchyng and þat oþer is y-spared lest he schulde wexe dulle wiþ contynual smytyng and rubbyng.
?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 152 (MED) Dryue þe mater to þat oþer hande with rubbynges.
c1484 (a1475) J. de Caritate tr. Secreta Secret. (Takamiya) (1977) 148 (MED) Rubbe thy tethe with þe barke of a tree..drye and hoote..þis rubbyng helpith myche.
a1500 in J. Evans & M. S. Serjeantson Eng. Mediaeval Lapidaries (1933) 90 (MED) Ðat ston..is of many vertues; and when he is chafed by rubbyng or by fretyng it draueþ to him þe strees þat ben abowte him.
1528 T. Paynell tr. Arnaldus de Villa Nova in Joannes de Mediolano Regimen Sanitatis Salerni sig. A iij Rubbyng of the body, exercise, & digestion.
1580 T. Blundeville Foure Offices Horsemanship (rev. ed.) X viij The signes be apparant by the itching & rubbing of the Horse.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 114 It was presently made yellow, and with no rubbing could be made white againe.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 176 Rubbing of Letters is also most commonly Boys-work.
1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 313 This Rubbing is only to spread the Inck pretty equally.
1742 C. Middleton Hist. Life Cicero (ed. 3) III. xii. 286 The care that he employed upon his body, consisted chiefly in bathing and rubbing.
1784 J. Twamley Dairying Exemplified 20 Turning, rubbing, washing, and cleaning, is more than one Man can easily perform.
1849 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis (1850) I. xxxvi. 352 That sort of bloom wears off with the rubbing of the world.
1857 Harper's Mag. Dec. 85/2 At five in the morning they were aroused by the remorseless bathman, to recommence the round of packings, and duckings, and rubbings, and bandagings.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 740 Rubbing of the limbs and passive exercises are of much importance.
1922 ‘R. West’ Judge i. ii. 55 The graceless embarrassment that he had shown..by purposeless rubbings of his hands and twisting of the ankles.
1931 V. Woolf Waves v Spent as I am, and almost worn out with all this rubbing of my nose along the surface of things, even I, an elderly man..must take myself off.
1963 V. Fuchs in M. B. Grosvenor Great Adventures with National Geographic 69 It was as if, at the rubbing of Aladdin's lamp, the desert had dissolved into a mirage.
2001 C. Marsh Last Days v. 71 Not even a touch really, just a slight hesitant rubbing of skin on skin.
b. With adverbs, as down, off, out, over, up.
ΚΠ
1648 H. Hexham Groot Woorden-boeck Bestrijckinge, a Stricking or a Rubbing over, or an Annointment.
1687 T. Brown Saints in Uproar in Wks. (1707) I. 112 Vermin, bred up to..rubbing out of Milk-scores, and bilking of their Landladies.
1701 Laconics (new ed.) iii. 111 He ought to have Preach'd against Swearing, Pilfering, Rubbing out of Ale-house Scores.
1755 J. Smith Printer's Gram. 11 Whether it be well scraped, so as not to want rubbing down.
1837 J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott (1839) IX. 369 He perhaps had been a good housemaid to Scotland and given the country a rubbing up.
1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 635/1 The rubbing off of arsenical particles in cleaning wall-papers.
1925 Woman's World (Chicago) Apr. 48/2 As to the finish of furniture, a tawdry varnished effect is common because the rubbing down of varnishes is expensive.
1959 Times 27 Apr. 12/7 The bat willow also requires such constant attention, from the mulching of roots..to the rubbing off of unwanted buds.
1998 R. J. Green Cuckoos ix. 88 John took Sam's rubber back to his place and began a frantic rubbing out of his own smudged and scruffy spellings.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > bowls or bowling > [noun] > obstruction of bowl
rub1577
rubbing1598
set1876
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost iv. i. 138 Sir challeng her to bowle. Bo. I feare too much rubbing . View more context for this quotation
1609 Euerie Woman in her Humor ii. i Lets leave rubbing a while, since the byas runs so much the wrong way.
1695 J. Collier Misc. upon Moral Subj. 77 You may as well expect that two Bowls should grow sensible by Rubbing.
3. In needle-making: the process of straightening lengths of wire by rolling a number of wires tightly bundled together. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > manufacturing processes > needle-making > [noun] > specific processes
rubbing1833
1833 J. Holland Treat. Manuf. Metal II. 356 This operation, which is called rubbing, straightens the lengths perfectly.
1902 J. Bullen in Brit. at Work 180/1 The first process the wire lengths undergo is the important one known as ‘rubbing’.
4. An impression or copy made by rubbing, esp. one made by overlaying a church brass or inscription with paper and rubbing with a crayon, etc. Cf. rub v.1 11 and brass-rubbing n. at brass n. Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > printmaking > brass-rubbing > [noun] > impression
rubbing1833
brass-rubbing1886
1833 Questions circulated on Public Rec. (Record Comm.) ii. 1 Impressions or rubbings from Inscriptions may be taken with common printing ink.
1845 M. R. Mitford in A. G. L'Estrange Life M. R. Mitford (1870) III. xi. 199 Taking rubbings of the different brasses in the churches round.
1872 H. T. Ellacombe Bells of Church in Church Bells Devon ix. 320 I have a rubbing of a legend with the cross and stop.
1937 Parnassus 9 12 When the rubbing was made of this strange rock demon, the paper curved down about the edges of the carved stone.
1966 Listener 22 Sept. 422/3 (caption) Rubbing (reduced) of a fifteenth-century brass in Newlands Church of a free miner of the Forest of Dean.
2003 D. Levithan Boy meets Boy 141 Amy and Emily are also going to make rubbings of some of the tombstones to help decorate the walls.
Compounds
attributive. C1.
a. With the sense ‘used for, or in connection with, rubbing’.
rubbing bed n.
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1848 Times 9 Dec. 8/6 (advt.) Spring carts and trucks, rubbing bed, large folding-gates, slate slabs, and slips for chimney-pieces, work-benches, and other implements of the trade.
1850 C. Holtzapffel Turning & Mech. Manip. III. 1196 Slabs of marble..that are required to have flat surfaces..are laid upon the rubbing-bed.
1922 Soda Fountain July 34/2 After the first slicing the slabs are put on a rubbing bed, which is a great steel disk about twelve feet in diameter, and charged with sand and water.
2003 A. C. Guinness in P. M. LeTourneau & P. E. Olsen Great Rift Valleys of Pangea II. 240/2 Rubbing beds were employed for smoothing and polishing.
rubbing block n.
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1843 Repertory Patent Inventions 2 352 Bring the surface of the wooden rubbing blocks..in contact with the surface of the rim of the wheel.
1875 E. H. Knight Amer. Mech. Dict. II. 1392/2 A rubbing~block is used for carrying the grit or powder for grinding..the faces of marble slabs.
1986 Early Music 14 463/1 A ‘rubbing block’ (launut) from New Ireland, used to call up the spirits of the dead is another Museum treasure.
2003 Z. Taylor Marquetry & Inlay Handbk. v. 74/2 With fine abrasive paper attached to the rubbing block, the marks left by the saw are smoothed away.
rubbing board n.
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1746 6th App. Abridgm. Statutes 18 If any Bleacher of Linen Cloths shall use or suffer to be used by any of his Servants or Workmen, his Rubbing-board in washing or rubbing his Cloths, such Bleacher shall..forfeit the Sum of Ten Pounds to the Informer.
1788 W. Fulton Brit. Patent 1651 (1856) 1 A new method or art of using and working..rubbing boards used in bleaching..by means of a cylinder.
1845 Encycl. Metrop. VIII. 704/2 For the purpose of setting this machine to work..the tops of all the rubbing boards are movable.
1995 F. W. Voget & M. K. Mee They call me Agnes vi. 150 Clara..washed on a washboard or in a tub. I used a tub and rubbing board, but later we got a washing machine.
rubbing cloth n.
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1550–1 in J. B. Paul Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1911) IX. 473 Lynyng claith to be rubing claithis.
1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. O3v Head-brushes and beard-brushes.., rubbing cloathes of all kindes.
1685 G. Langbaine Hunter iv. 36 Rub his Head, Face, Ears, and Nape of the Neck with a clean Rubbing Cloth made of Hemp.
1861 C. Reade Cloister & Hearth lv A cupboard to keep his comb and rubbing clothes.
2002 S. Cash Meq (2005) 251 We set up our scaffolding and brought out our rubbing cloths and ochre.
rubbing house n.
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1701 London Gaz. No. 3723/4 The Horses to be shewn and entred at the Rubbing-house 9 days before.
1828 R. Darvill Treat. Race Horse 240 So necessary part of a racing establishment as a rubbing-house.
2007 J. Egerton G. Stubbs, Painter 226/2 Gimcrack, having led the field in the trial shown in the background, is portrayed, unsaddled, against the enduring walls of the rubbing house (‘the King's Stables’) at the end of the Beacon Course.
rubbing instrument n.
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1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Strigilecula, a..rubbynge instrument.
1727 J. Arbuthnot Tables Anc. Coins 295 He prescribes from fifty Frictions to two hundred, according to the strength of the Patient; I suppose he means so many Strokes with the rubbing Instrument.
1995 A. Hilton Russ. Folk Art ii. viii. 103 Special scraping and rubbing instruments were used to remove excess bone.
rubbing leather n.
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1832 London Jrnl. Arts & Sci. 2nd Ser. 8 75 Two flat boards..are fixed in the said carriages..which extend the whole length of each carriage, for the purpose of keeping the two surfaces of the rubbing leathers..in close contact as they pass between the boards.
1884 W. S. B. McLaren Spinning Woollen & Worsted (ed. 2) 227 From the doffers, the ends are taken in the regular way to the rubbing leathers, and on to the bobbins.
2001 L. Hunter & E. L. Hunter in R. R. Franck Silk, Mohair, Cashmere & Other Luxury Fibres ii. 104 The final web is normally taken off the card by a Tape Condenser, with special attention to splitting the web and rubbing it, as well as to the choice of rubbing leathers.
rubbing machine n.
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1749 T. Prior Ess. Linen-manuf. Ireland 50 Others..maintain, that these Rubbing Machines make the Cloth look finer and whiter.
1845 Encycl. Metrop. VIII. 704 Rubbing machine.—This is used immediately after the preceding breaking process.
1996 Sainsbury's Mag. Jan. 88/1 After the selected grains have been rigorously cleaned by a series of rubbing machines, sieves, aspirators and de-stoners.., milling can start.
rubbing pin n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > tailoring or making clothes > making footwear > [noun] > equipment or materials for > equipment > other
thumb-stall1589
stopping sticka1600
dresser1600
heel-block1600
rubbing pin1600
stopper1600
petty boy1688
shoe-bench1841
shoe hairs1859
fudge-wheel1874
shoe-hammer1875
size-stick1875
trimming-machine1877
heel breaster1879
slugger1892
waist-hammer1895
waist-iron1895
1600 T. Dekker Shomakers Holiday sig. C3v A good rubbing pinne, a good stopper, a good dresser, your foure sorts of awles.
1899 Official Gaz. (U.S. Patent Office) 4 July 5/2 A shaft which is non-circular in cross-section for a portion of its length, said non-circular portion passing through said pinion and carrying rubbing-pins on its lower end.
1916 R. Mukerjee Found. Indian Econ. ii. xii. 187 The operator keeps the rubbing pins of the Takurs successively between the palms of his hands so as to make them spin fast and uninterruptedly which serves to twist the threads.
rubbing place n.
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1683 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises II. 176 They pick up the Letter to be Rub'd, and lay it down in the Rubbing place.
1785 G. Cartwright Labrador 12 On rubbing-places, with the nicest care, Traps for the otter he must next prepare.
1861 L. De Boileau Recoll. Labrador Life 79 The mode adopted is to bury the traps in the ‘rubbing place’, and cover them lightly with soil.
1991 R. D. Estes Behavior Guide to Afr. Mammals (1992) ii. xii. 217/1 A home range..includes pastures.., sleeping areas, water holes, wallows, rubbing places, and mineral licks.
rubbing pole n.
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1589–90 in M. A. Havinden Househ. & Farm Inventories Oxfordshire (1965) 306 Seven peeles twoo Rubbyng poles and two Malkyns.
1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northants. Words II. 186 Rubbing-pole, the pole with which the ashes are stirred and dispersed over an oven.
2004 W. H. McAlister Life on Matagorda Island x. 230 The old cross-fence lines are marked by rows of weary cedar posts stretching from bay to Gulf, convenient perches for white-tailed hawks, rubbing poles for feral hogs.
rubbing post n.
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1647 C. Culpeper Let. 22 Dec. in 17th-cent. Polit. & Financial Papers (1996) 314 His invention of a bryer & a rubbinge poste is vsuall in these parts in lieu of the other parte, the garbadge of a rabbit..steeped in water squirted upon the trees.
1782 W. Marshall Minutes in Rural Econ. Norfolk (1787) II. 115 It is an excellent custom of the Norfolk farmer to erect rubbing posts in the different parts of the inclosure.
1833 J. C. Loudon Encycl. Cottage Archit. §16 Pigsty, with a rubbing-post in the open area or feeding-place.
1980 Quarto Dec. 17/3 Professor Flynn's book..is a valuable rubbing post against which to try out one's beliefs.
2002 Cheshire Life Aug. 153/1 Each day the bulls are individually let out into a sand-filled playpen, complete with a tree trunk rubbing post and butting pipe.
rubbing rail n.
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1815 W. Marshall Rev. Rep. to Board Agric. from Midland Dept. Eng. 441 I have been recommending, and erecting, rubbing rails, in various parts of the island.
1917 P. K. Fitzhugh Tom Slade at Temple Camp viii. 82 Tom and Roy repaired the rubbing-rail where it had broken loose.
rubbing sheet n.
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1843 Lancet 19 Aug. 742/2 Wet-sheets, rubbing-sheets, sweating-blankets, douches.
1849 R. T. Claridge Cold-water Cure 50 The rubbing-sheet... The term ‘rubbing’ is used, because when the sheet is thrown on the body, great rubbing is used outside of it.
1987 S. E. Cayleff Wash & be Healed i. 47 The druggist, on learning of his four-year-old son's depleted state from scarlet fever, applied a wet-sheet wrap and then a rubbing sheet to cure the child.
rubbing stroke n.
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1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 289 The triall is made by the touch-stone onely, with an obseruation of the rubbing-strokes vpon it to bee alike and of the same strength.
1751 B. Franklin Exper. & Observ. Electr. 76 What is collected from the hand in the downward rubbing stroke.
1894 Amer. Agriculturist 29 Sept. 143/3 The rubbing stroke should always be with the grain of the wood.
1983 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 29 Dec. c5/1 Miss Schnatz says the most handsome brass rubbings are produced by strong, even rubbing strokes.
rubbing surface n.
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1734 J. T. Desaguliers Course Exper. Philos. I. iv. 237 As the Diameter of the first Pulley 1 is eight times bigger than its Pin..its rubbing Surface on the Pin must move eight times slower.
1862 Internat. Exhib.: Illustr. Catal. Industr. Dept. II. x. §2285 The taps are lined with the anti-corrosive alloy; and the density of their rubbing-surfaces is so varied, that the friction is reduced to a minimum.
1999 Proc. Royal Soc. A. 455 4182 The lubricant itself cannot prevent contacts between the rubbing surfaces.
rubbing table n.
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1842 Milwaukie (Wisconsin Territory) Sentinel 5 Oct. From thence it [sc. the hog] goes to the rubbing table where each piece is thoroughly rubbed in salt in the same manner as in curing bacon.
1899 Bucks County (Pa.) Gaz. 22 June In the training room there will be shower baths and modern rubbing tables.
1939 ‘E. Queen’ in Blue Bk. Oct. 21/2 Koyle slipped from the rubbing-table, and Barney Hawks began shooing men out of the shower~room.
1976 N.Y. Rev. 24 June 8/3 Lyndon Johnson liked to talk to people while..lying in bed, on his rubbing table, skinny-dipping.
2006 J. Prager Echoing Green (2008) i. 51 Owen meantime, lay naked on the rubbing table, a trainer dressing his bleeding legs.
b. With the sense ‘exposed to rubbing’, ‘used to protect against rubbing’.Frequently in shipbuilding contexts.
rubbing paunch n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > masts, rigging, or sails > spar > [noun] > mast > covering to save mast from chafing
paunch1794
rubbing paunch1797
paunch piecec1860
1797 D. Steel Art of making Masts 122 Trim and fasten rubbing-paunch to the fore-mast.
c1860 H. Stuart Novices or Young Seaman's Catech. (rev. ed.) 13 The mast is ready for the piece of timber called a rubbing paunch made of fir, to receive the chafe of the lower yard.
1882 G. S. Nares Seamanship (ed. 6) 9 Rubbing paunch, a batten up and down the forepart of a lower mast, to keep the lower yards clear of the hoops when going up or down.
1955 C. N. Longridge Anat. Nelson's Ships ii. xi. 164 A rubbing paunch attached to the fore side of the mast.
2003 K. Julier Period Ship Kit Builder's Man. (2005) xiv. 95/1 The flat on the front to seat any rubbing paunch or fish is filed at 90 degrees to the cheek seating.
rubbing piece n.
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1834 Naut. Mag. July 401 If you have no rubbing pieces, put plenty of good parselling on the beckets.
1879 Encycl. Brit. IX. 247/2 The purse..has some protection provided by layers of old netting called ‘rubbing pieces’ laced to its under surface.
1907 Trans. Inst. Mining Engineers 33 117 Each cage was fitted with a rubbing piece of soft steel, which could be changed when worn out.
2004 M. Crossman & J. Simm Man. Use of Timber in Coastal & River Engin. viii. 185 A range of timber species have been used successfully as rubbing pieces along jetties, piers, mooring dolphins and quay walls.
rubbing plate n.
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1857 W. M. Rice in A. Armstrong Personal Narr. Discov. North-west Passage App. 606 An iron rubbing-plate is also fitted to the front of the ice-stage and channels.
1969 Jane's Freight Containers 1968–9 550/3 The front end incorporates a rubbing plate and retractable king pin.
2006 N. Warren Metal Corrosion in Boats (ed. 3) xii. 184 Other items..that can be galvanized or made of stainless steel are chainplates, bulwark capping tubes and rubbing stakes, rubbing plates for anchor chain and mooring lines.
rubbing strake n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > parts of vessels > body of vessel > side(s) of vessel > [noun] > specific protective timbers along side
anchor lining1805
bill-boardc1860
rubbing strake1874
1874 F. G. D. Bedford Sailor's Pocket Bk. vi. 183 A jackstay should be fitted round the boat, underneath the rubbing strake for the rain awning to be laced down to.
1928 G. Campbell My Myst. Ships iii. 36 The hinges were outboard, and had to be covered with rubber and made to look like a rubbing strake for going alongside a jetty.
1998 Canal Boat & Inland Waterways June 78/2 The hull is well-protected from damage in locks, with all-round wooden fendering at the gunwale, plus two three-quarter length rubbing strakes each side lower down.
C2.
rubbing alcohol n. North American denatured alcohol, typically perfumed, used for cleaning and disinfecting the skin, medical instruments, etc.; cf. surgical spirit n. at surgical adj. Additions.
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1902 Proc. 23rd Ann. Session Internat. Hahnemannian Assoc. 304 Drinks little: Pains > pillows under back. > rubbing alcohol.
1955 T. Sterling Evil of Day iii. 37 Celia checked her vanity case to see that she had enough rubbing alcohol.
2001 K. Radu Flesh & Blood xlii. 261 A narrow space..allowed tramps to edge through and to drink rubbing alcohol below the kitchen window.
rubbing strip n. †(a) a strip of rubber used as part of a window-cleaning tool (obsolete rare); (b) a strip of wood, metal, plastic, etc., used to protect against rubbing or other damage; esp. one fitted to the exterior of a boat, car, etc.
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1880 Federal Reporter 2 574 An improved window cleaner, consisting of a handle or holder, an elastic rubbing strip.., and a bearing or support for said strip.
1883 A. E. Seaton Man. Marine Engin. xiii. 240 Fit a pair of flat bar springs, whose backs press on rubbing strips on the valve.
1939 Pop. Sci. Monthly Apr. 165/1 A half-round, hardwood rubbing strip protects the sides.
2000 I. Manser in J. Carmichael Global Change? iv. 51 Fendering usually comprises a fabricated steel or timber face..with replaceable rubbing strips.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
rubbingadj.
/ˈrʌbɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈrəbɪŋ/ 1. That rubs; that exerts friction.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > rubbing or friction > [adjective] > rubbing
frotting1567
rubbing1597
1597 1st Pt. Returne fr. Parnassus v. iii That better doe rewarde each scriveners pen, Each tapsters cringe, each rubbinge ostler.
1739 C. Labelye Short Acct. Piers Westm. Bridge 22 To have the Gudgeons or Pivots, and all the rubbing Parts made smooth.
1825 ‘J. Nicholson’ Operative Mechanic 79 The rubbing parts thus bear long on each other, with enormous pressures.
1886 C. C. Abbott Upland & Meadow xiv. 367 The noise made by wind-tossed leaves or the creaking of rubbing branches.
1912 Smart Set Feb. 27/1 ‘And what you offer, lady?’ he reminded, craning toward her with rubbing hands.
1947 Pop. Mech. Jan. 226/2 Worn spots caused by rubbing branches are likely to develop decay.
2006 A. Mackay Highlander in her Bed iv. 88 ‘Put-me-down,’ she seethed, blocking the sensations caused by his poking and rubbing fingers.
2. Such as results from rubbing. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1853 E. K. Kane U.S. Grinnell Exped. xxxii. 279 Every now and then a harsh rubbing creak along her sides.
Compounds
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > [noun]
beleaving1340
continuationc1374
improbityc1380
perseveringc1380
perseverancec1384
continuancec1405
perseverationa1500
patience1517
constancea1533
importunity1533
persistence1546
persisting1576
going-on1578
persistency1600
constancy1623
stickle1652
rubbing shift1675
doggedness1824
stick-to-itiveness1859
persistiveness1864
holdfastness1869
continuativeness1881
stick-to-itness1881
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > recourse > [noun] > making shift
rubbing shift1675
makeshift1870
1675 V. Alsop Anti-Sozzo ii. 53 Though he can make a shift with him, he could have made a Rubbing shift without Him.
1678 V. Alsop Melius Inquirendum ii. viii. 319 Many sincere..Christians make a rubbing-shift to get them [i.e. the ceremonies] down, accounting them tolerable, though not eligible.
Derivatives
ˈrubbingly adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > rubbing or friction > [adverb] > with rubbing or kneading
kneadingly1818
rubbingly1865
1865 R. H. Newell Orpheus C. Kerr Papers 3rd Ser. lxxxvi. 72 The poor chap rubbingly picked himself up.
1891 S. J. Duncan Amer. Girl in London 277 [A cat] besought small favours rubbingly with purrs.
2008 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 13 Dec. a2 18 She had kissed him in the back of the car on the way from the church to her parents' house, the ring more rubbingly present and alien on her finger than it ever would be again.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.a1398adj.1597