See Also: rubble(medicine)
rubble(dictionary)
rubble(dictionary)

rubble (iou)



rubble noun & verb. LME.
[Perh. from Anglo-Norman alt. of Old French robe spoils: see ROBE noun1. Cf. RUBBISH noun & adjective.]
A. noun.
Waste fragments of stone, brick, etc., esp. as the rubbish of decayed or demolished buildings. Formerly also, rubbish or refuse in general. LME.
K. Crossley-Holland They..reduced the..walls of Asgard to rubble.
Pieces of undressed stone used in building walls, as hard core, etc. M16.
b. Masonry made of rubble. Also rubble-work. E19.
Geology. Loose angular stones or fragments of broken material forming a mantle over some rocks, and found beneath alluvium or soil. L18.
Floating piles of ice fragments. L19.
Comb.: rubble-stone (a) = senses 2, 3 above; (b) in pl., stones of the nature of rubble; rubble-work: see sense 2b above.
b. verb.
verb trans.
a. Crush, bring to ruin. Only in LME.
b. Cure (an ailment). Only in LME.
verb intrans. Poke or crawl about among rubbish or refuse. Now dial. M17.
verb trans. Reduce to rubble. Usu. in pass. E20.
rubbler noun a young or casual worker in a slate quarry M19.
rubbly adjective containing a lot of rubble; consisting of rubble, of the nature of rubble: M18.