ruby

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹuː.bi/
• Rhymes: -uːbi

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

From Middle English ruby, rube, from Old French rubi, from Medieval Latin rubīnus.

ruby (countable and uncountable, plural rubies)

1. A clear, deep, red variety of corundum, valued as a precious stone.
   • 2012 March 1, Lee A. Groat, “Gemstones”, in American Scientist‎, volume 100, number 2, archived from the original on 14 June 2012, retrieved 17 May 2013, page 128:

     Although there are dozens of different types of gems, among the best known and most important are diamond, ruby and sapphire, emerald and other gem forms of the mineral beryl, chrysoberyl, tanzanite, tsavorite, topaz and jade.

2. (obsolete) A red spinel.
3. A deep red colour.

   ruby:  

   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act III, scene iv]:

     the natural ruby of your cheeks

4. (heraldry) The tincture red or gules.
5. (uncountable, printing, UK, dated) The size of type between pearl and nonpareil, standardized as 5½-point.

   Synonym: (US) agate

6. A ruby hummer, a South American hummingbird, Clytolaema rubricauda.
7. A red bird-of-paradise, Paradisaea rubra.

ruby (comparative more ruby, superlative most ruby)

1. Of a deep red colour.

ruby (third-person singular simple present rubies, present participle rubying, simple past and past participle rubied)

1. (transitive, poetic) To make red; to redden.
   • 1725, Homer; [Alexander Pope], transl., “Book 20”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume V, London: […] Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646:

     With sanguine drops the walls are rubied

• (reds) red; blood red, brick red, burgundy, cardinal, carmine, carnation, cerise, cherry, cherry red, Chinese red, cinnabar, claret, crimson, damask, fire brick, fire engine red, flame, flamingo, fuchsia, garnet, geranium, gules, hot pink, incarnadine, Indian red, magenta, maroon, misty rose, nacarat, oxblood, pillar-box red, pink, Pompeian red, poppy, raspberry, red violet, rose, rouge, ruby, ruddy, salmon, sanguine, scarlet, shocking pink, stammel, strawberry, Turkey red, Venetian red, vermillion, vinaceous, vinous, violet red, wine ^{(Category: en:Reds)}
• carbuncle
• corundum
• spinel
• Ruby on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• David Barthelmy (1997–2023), “Ruby”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.
• “ruby”, in Mindat.org‎, Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, 2000–2023.

From the British 5.5-point font Ruby, used for annotations in printed documents.

ruby (plural rubies)

1. A pronunciation guide written above or beside Chinese or Japanese characters.

• rubi

• Ruby characters on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• -bury, Bury, bury

• IPA^(key): [ˈrubɪ]

ruby

1. nominative/accusative/vocative/instrumental plural of rub

Borrowed from Old French rubi, itself borrowed from Latin rubeus.

• rebe, ribe, rube, rubee, rubie, rybe, ryby

• IPA^(key): /ˈriu̯biː/, /ˈriu̯beː/

ruby (plural rubies)

1. A ruby (red precious stone)
2. (figuratively) A precious individual.

• English: ruby

• “rubī(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

ruby

1. Alternative form of robben

• hruby

From Proto-Slavic *grubъ.

ruby

1. fat, thick