Rubbish
/ˈrʌb.ɪʃ/noun
Waste material, trash, or something regarded as worthless.
Did you know?The word entered English from a family of Old French forms tied to rubble and rough debris, so its oldest sense is less “nonsense” and more “the leftover ruins of something shattered.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reup-
“to tear, break, or snatch away”
Late Latin
Latin
*rūpēs / rōbīgō?
“Debris-related forms are uncertain and not the direct source; the English word comes through French, not a clean classical root”
Old French
Old French
robous / rubis / rubage
“Rubble, broken stone, refuse, or coarse debris (regional and dialectal forms)”
Middle English
English
robissh / rubbissh
“Rubble, broken stuff, trash; later also worthless talk”
Modern English
English
rubbish
“Waste material; later, nonsense or something contemptible”