any of the paired curved rods of bone or cartilage that stiffen the body walls of most vertebrate animals and protect the heart, lungs, etc
a cut of meat that includes a rib
something resembling a rib in shape or function: e.g
a transverse member of the frame of a ship that runs from keel to deck
a structural member of the wing of an aircraft that runs from the leading edge to the trailing edge
any of the rods supporting the fabric of an umbrella
an arched support or ornamental band in vaulting
an elongated ridge, e.g.:
a vein of a leaf or an insect's wing
any of a series of narrow ridges in a knitted or woven fabric
a ribbed part of a piece of knitting, or the pattern of stitches used to produce it
[Old English]