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- Title
Jib, Gybe, Jibe (US)—and Gibbet.
- Authors
Sayers, William
- Abstract
The article discusses the etymology of the words "jib," "gybe," "jibe" (chiefly used in the U.S.), and "gibbet," and explores the connections between them. According to the author, the nautical terms "jib-sail" and "jib-boom" are not connected to the term "gibbet" by a shared meaning of "gallows" so much as by a shared sense of a bifurcated structure. It is also suggested that the term "jibe," meaning to be in agreement or accord in North American English, has its origins in the British nautical term "gybe," which refers to differing but symmetrical positions of the jib-sail and the jib-boom on a ship. Topics discussed include the "Oxford English Dictionary" (OED), the poem "Guy of Warwick," and the French, Frankish, and Middle English languages.
- Subjects
ENGLISH etymology; NAUTICAL terms; JIBING (Sailing); GALLOWS; SAILS; OXFORD English Dictionary; GUY of Warwick (Poem); FRENCH etymology
- Publication
Notes & Queries, 2011, Vol 58, Issue 2, p191
- ISSN
0029-3970
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/notesj/gjr071