Etymograph

English

rub

Rub comes from Middle English rubben ‘to abrade’.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rubben1‘to abrade’
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602rub1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English rub
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “To die, to sleep— / To sleep—perchance to dream.…”.

Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rubbenWiktionary, English rub‘to abrade’
  2. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602rubWiktionary, English rub. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “To die, to sleep— / To sleep—perchance to dream.…”

The story

Inherited from Middle English rubben, of unknown origin; possibly ultimately from Proto-Germanic *rubbōną, related to *reufaną (‘to tear’).uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Every English word from Middle English rubben

Today it means

noun An act of rubbing.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rub”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English rubben / rub

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