robn.1
/rɒb/, U.S. /rɑb/ Now historical.
A syrup made by the concentration of fruit juice, usually by boiling and often with the addition of sugar, used esp. for medicinal purposes (in later use chiefly for the treatment or prevention of scurvy). In early use also: †a decoction of sweet wine (obsolete). Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > dishes and prepared food > preserve > [noun] > other preserves
rob?a1425
white leachc1450
chare de wardon?a1500
pignolate?1543
angel hair1843
marron glacé1871
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 160v (MED) Make it [sc. medicine] wiþ rob [?c1425 Paris swete wyne; L. rob], i. Iusse, or swete wyne decocte.
1543 B. Traheron Interpr. Straunge Wordes in tr. J. de Vigo Most Excellent Wks. Chirurg. (at cited word) Rob or robub, is used for a purifyed iuce, thycked by the heate of fyre, or of the sunne, unto the forme of honye.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball 683 The rob made with the iuyce of common Ribes and Sugar, is very good for all the diseases aboue sayde.
1620 T. Venner Via Recta vii. 124 The Rob, that is, the iuyce of the berries boyled with a third part..of sugar added vnto it,..is preferred before the raw berries.
1656 W. Coles Art of Simpling xxv. 80 Continue boyling it..till it attaine unto the consistence of Honey, and then it is by Physitians called the Rob.
1694 W. Westmacott Θεολοβοτονολογια 203 These Robs,..and Conserves, are not to be given to costive Bodies.
1755 J. Wesley Primitive Physick (ed. 5) 107 Take an ounce of Rob of Elder in Broth.
1790 H. Walpole Let. 31 Oct. (1840) VI. 372 There is..a quantity of calculations, and one is forced to..boil milliards of livres down to a rob of pounds sterling.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 351 (note) The berries are so very acid that birds will not eat them, but boiled with sugar they form a most agreeable rob or jelly.
1821 W. P. C. Barton Flora N. Amer. (new ed.) I. 61 A rob might also be prepared..by evaporating the syrup obtained from them.
1864 Chambers's Encycl. VI. 603/1 A rob made of it [sc. white mulberry] is useful in sore throat.
1979 Mariner's Mirror 65 27 The Victualling Board was instructed to supply the rob to all the big blockading fleets.
2004 S. R. Bown Scurvy vi. 126 It seems that Lind gave his patients at Haslar the fresh juice and created the rob for use on ships.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
robn.2
/rɒb/, U.S. /rɑb/ slang (now chiefly British).
on the rob: engaging in robbery.
ΚΠ
1866 T. J. Dimsdale Vigilantes of Montana xv. 105 Marshland said he did not wish to go, as he could make money without murder. He was, he said, ‘on the rob, but not on the kill’.
1939 J. Cary Mister Johnson 215 They're on the rob again—in the zungo this time.
1974 H. J. Parker View from Boys 209 Arno is the antithesis... He's still ‘on the rob’ to try and pay off fines which threaten his freedom.
1981 L. R. Banks Writing on Wall vi. 52 Some of 'em con a bit, or go on the rob, but I wouldn't do that, that's not my style.
2009 Liverpool Echo (Nexis) 14 Jan. 5 The McQueens decide to go out on the rob and wear decoy pregnancy bumps to stash the stolen items.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
robv.
/rɒb/, U.S. /rɑb/ 1. transitive. To plunder or pillage (a place, house, etc.); to steal from. Also in extended use.to rob the spittle: see spittle n.1 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > rob [verb (transitive)] > specifically a place
robc1225
nick1829
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > spoliation or depredation > despoil or prey upon [verb (transitive)]
reaveOE
stripa1225
pill?c1225
robc1225
peela1250
despoil1297
raimc1300
spoilc1330
spoila1340
to pull a finch (also pigeon, plover, etc.)c1387
despoil1393
preya1400
spoila1400
spulyiea1400
unspoila1400
riflec1400
poll1490
to pill and poll1528
to poll and pill1528
exspoila1530
pilyie1539
devour?1542
plume1571
rive1572
bepill1574
fleece1575
to prey over1576
pread1577
disvaledge1598
despoliate1607
to make spoil of1613
expilate1624
to peel and poll1641
depredate1651
violatea1657
disvalise1672
to pick feathers off (a person)1677
to make stroy of1682
spoliate1699
pilfer1714
snabble1725
rump1815
vampire1832
sweat1847
ploat1855
vampirize1888
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 185 (MED) Wes helle irobbet [a1250 Titus irobbed], & heouene bið ifullet.
c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 4 (MED) Ne bihoueð hit nawt þet tis hus beo irobbet.
a1350 ( in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 132 (MED) He haþ robbed engelond, þe mores, ant þ[e] fenne.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 57 Þe Danes spoylede and robbede [?a1475 anon. tr. robbynge; L. deprædantes] al Northumberlond.
a1400 (?a1350) Seege Troye (Egerton) (1927) l. 173 (MED) Ercules and his felows alle Went and robbyd [c1450 Arms Dede rubby] þat ryche Cete.
a1425 (?c1350) Ywain & Gawain (1964) 2253 (MED) My landes haves he robbed and reft.
a1500 (c1465) in J. Gairdner Three 15th-cent. Chrons. (1880) 23 (MED) The Kynge off Scottes..robbed and revid the contre aboute Derham.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xii. v. 103 Ȝon ilk stranger..our marchis..Invadis, rubbis, and spulȝeis.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 1912 He..told furth of his tale..How þe rewme was robbet.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vi. 102 One that is like to be executed for robbing a Church. View more context for this quotation
1651 tr. F. de Quintana Hist. Don Fenise 198 Pirats who..rob upon the sea all the vessells they could render themselves masters of.
1722 D. Defoe Relig. Courtship i. ii. 63 It's a sorry Thief would rob a Cottage.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth IV. 211 When they [sc. baboons] set about robbing an orchard or a vineyard,..they do not go singly to work.
1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. iii. 249 Wilt thou rob a church And share..The general spoil?
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xii. 221 In the country his house was robbed.
1944 M. Irwin Young Bess xv. 170 Tom..had always given trouble at home..robbing the apple orchards in Pound and Broom Close.
1971 Wall St. Jrnl. 13 Aug. 1/6 They robbed the home of a wealthy Main Line doctor.
1994 Q. Tarantino & R. Avary Pulp Fiction i. 13 Pumpkin and Honey Bunny grab their weapons, stand up and rob the restaurant.
2.
a. To deprive (a person) of something unlawfully, esp. by force or the threat of force. Also figurative.
(a) transitive. With double object. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > rob [verb (transitive)] > specifically a person
ripeOE
robc1225
ravishc1384
to-reave1393
to shake (a person) out ofc1412
to purge a person's purse1528
cashiera1616
to rob someone blind1897
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 430 (MED) Þus þis worldes hweol warpeð ham abuten..reauers hit hit [read ham] robbið.
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) 4323 Kepe we þe strait wais..And robben hem her sustenaunce.
1438 Will in Norfolk Archaeol. (1855) 4 330 (MED) I be qwethe to Richard Whaplode, my cosyn, xl s. of my good, because I had robyn hym v acre of lond.
1551 T. Lever Serm. xiiii. December (new ed.) sig. h.iiv Shew the laity yt thei haue robbed me theyr lord & god of double honour due unto my mynisters.
1613 T. Heywood Siluer Age iii. sig. G4v Ceres nor loue, nor all the Gods aboue Shall rob me this rich purchase.
1776 P. V. Fithian Jrnl. 15 Aug. in J. Fea Way of Improvem. leads Home (2008) viii. 199 They came from their Homes to rob us our Peace & Freedom.
1834 H. Taylor Philip Van Artevelde Pt. I (ed. 2) i. ii. 15 Were I thy tutor To teach thee wisdom, and beheld such store Of goodly fruitage, I should say to thee, ‘Rob me this orchard’.
1876 E. E. Frewer tr. L. Cahun Adventures Capt. Mago ix. 152 Is it not your design to rob us our cattle?
1980 J. Kasaipwalova Sail Midnight Sun 58 I have cried to see avenging death so close To rob me my silent longings.
(b) transitive. With simple object. Also reflexive.to rob Peter to pay Paul (and variants): see Peter n. and int. Phrases.to rob someone blind: see blind adj. Additions.In quot. 1340 in passive with of indicating the agent.
ΚΠ
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 120 Hit him luste leosen & beon irobbed [c1230 Corpus irobbet].
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 69 Ha..preisið þe uuele..as þe þet seide to þe cnicht þe robbeð hise poure men, Asire as þu dest wel.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1958 (MED) Comen her mo þan sixti þeues..Me forto robben and to pine.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 190 (MED) A riche ientilman wes y-robbed of þieues.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 246 Ofte in wodes þeues beþ y-hudde and..passynge men comeþ and beþ y-spoyled and y-robbed [L. spoliantur] and ofte y-slawe.
c1400 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Trin. Cambr. R.3.14) (1960) A. iii. 182 (MED) Wiþoute pite, pilour, pore men þou robbest [v.rr. robbedest, robbedist, robedest, robidyst, robbed].
c1475 tr. C. de Pisan Livre du Corps de Policie (Cambr.) (1977) 58 (MED) He byndeth hem by their othe to be aboute him..so that the contre be not defoyled nor the people robbed [Fr. pillie] nor slayne.
a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 183 (MED) The extorcioner rubbyth and Preyeth good men.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Prov. xxii. C Se yt thou robbe not ye poore because he is weake.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iv. iii. 78 Must I rob the Law? View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) i. iii. 208 He robs himselfe, that spends a bootelesse griefe. View more context for this quotation
1651 T. Hobbes Leviathan i. viii. 35 When a man robbs one to pay another.
1715 D. Defoe Family Instructor I. i. iv. 84 O Thieves! Thieves! I am robb'd.
1759 J. Mills tr. H. L. Duhamel du Monceau Pract. Treat. Husbandry i. iv. 10 To hinder weeds from robbing the cultivated plants.
1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. i. 9 Their intention was to rob and murder him.
1857 C. Kingsley Two Years Ago I. 280 As usual; poor Nature is being robbed and murdered by rich grace.
1892 Ld. Tennyson Foresters iii. i. 91 We never robb'd one friend of the true King. We robb'd the traitors that are leagued with John.
1927 Amer. Mercury Nov. 366/2 He had killed his wife because she refused to help him rob a drunken sailor.
1953 R. Mais Hills were Joyful Together ii. xii. 226 Her money gone! Somebody had robbed her while she was asleep.
1998 Independent 12 June i. 3/6 The two masked attackers zapped him with the stun-gun, but did not rob him.
b. transitive. Sport. In football, hockey, or a similar game: to deprive (an opposing player) of the ball or puck.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > football > association football > play association football [verb (transitive)] > actions to player
rob1882
book1959
turn1973
card1986
yellow card1996
1882 Blackburn Times 1 Apr. 6/3 Goodhart started the ball from the centre, but he was instantly robbed by Strachan.
1969 P. Imlach Hockey is Battle (1983) xi. 144 After robbing Ralph Backstrom point-blank on the first rush of the game, Sawchuck showed them that [etc.].
1970 Times 30 Sept. 15/4 Novak held on too long in midfield and was robbed by Graham.
2001 People (Nexis) 21 Jan. 64 Saha pierced the heart of the home defence and though Neil Cox tried to rob him, the ball broke for Boa Morte.
c. transitive. colloquial. To overcharge (a person) for something.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > charges > [verb (transitive)] > overcharge
overchargea1400
surcharge1429
overset?1533
sauce1602
hoist1607
over-reckon1615
extortionc1650
sock1699
fleece1719
soak1895
slug1925
rob1934
1934 G. B. Shaw On the Rocks (new ed.) ii, in Too True to be Good 236 Out of those wages the laborer has to pay half or quarter as rent to the landlord. The laborer is ignorant: he thinks he is robbed by the landlord; but the robbed victim is me.
1948 R. M. Ayres Missing the Tide i. 44 The food's quite good, and they don't rob you, anyway.
1976 Church Times 30 July 7/2 She may have been fleeced in Florence, robbed in Ravenna, grossly overcharged in Ostia..; but Baedeker at least has not tried to put one over on her.
2002 T. Farrell Joe Sabuni, PI i. 5 Whatever you owe for that suit, you were robbed. I've never seen such a mess.
d. transitive. Chiefly Sport. To deprive (a person, team, etc.) of victory or advantage unfairly or undeservedly. Chiefly in passive.
ΚΠ
1949 Manch. Guardian 13 Sept. 5/7 ‘The referee did not know a thing.’ ‘We were robbed.’
1961 Observer 27 Aug. 12/3 Cruel luck robbed Arsenal in the end. Dyson clearly handled in scoring Spurs' 3–3 equaliser.
1990 D. McIntosh Visits 77 We were robbed a couple of times when their goalie made fluke saves from close in.
2001 Time 27 Aug. 29/3 Jackson won the popular vote in the presidential election of 1828 but lost the election itself; a lot of folks thought he was robbed.
2008 Crawley News (Nexis) 17 Sept. 68 I feel I was robbed. I lost by two points. I got points taken away when he dropped me and if it hadn't counted as a knock down I would have won.
3.
a. transitive. With of. To deprive (a person or place) of something unlawfully, esp. by force or the threat of force.
ΚΠ
a1325 St. Theophilus (Corpus Cambr.) l. 250 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 229 (MED) Irobbed hi were of ȝare gode for hi were eþ to ouercome.
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) 5105 (MED) Herbisiden ben childer hende, Þat han þis ich dawe Mani cursed painem slawe, Þat hadden robbed þis cuntray Of al þis ich fair pray.
?a1425 (a1400) Brut (Corpus Cambr.) 298 Þe toun..of al þing þat myȝte be bore & caryed out was robbid and despoyled.
1509 Kynge Rycharde Cuer du Lyon (de Worde) sig. G.iii In an euyll tyme our emperour Robbed kynge Rycharde of his tresour.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Sam. xvii. 8 As a Beer that is robbed of hir yonge ones in the felde.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 6419 Ector..Wold haue Robbit the Renke of his riche wede.
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) xii. f. 151 v Amycus..began To reeue and rob the brydehouse of his furniture.
1637 J. Milton Comus 14 For who would rob an Hermit of his weeds.
1667 London Gaz. No. 126/1 The St. Francis of Bilboa..was robbed..of one Hogshead of Wine.
1736 Ordinary of Newgate, his Acct. 4 Feb. 13/2 I and Thomas Campson..broke open a Hatters..and robbed it of three Dozen of Kilps.
1785 W. Cowper Task iv. 458 His victims, robb'd of their defenceless all.
1827 Times 16 Feb. 3/5 Thomas Derwent..had his cellar broken into, and robbed of three gallons of brandy,..together with a great quantity of pork pies.
1883 Cent. Mag. Sept. 707/2 In 1626, an Indian was robbed of his peltries and killed by some Dutch farm-servants.
1938 Z. Grey Raiders Spanish Peaks viii. 147 We're to be robbed of our cattle without any redress whatever?
1963 Times 6 Mar. 9/3 A gang which robbed the state of hundreds of thousands of roubles.
2007 J. Thompson Cortina ii. 43 The raiders..robbed the house of $150 and several firearms.
b. transitive. With of. To deprive of what is due or normal; to deprive of some feature, quality, or characteristic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > loss > taking away > take away [verb (transitive)] > deprive (of) > of any adjunct or asset > specifically of a thing
robc1450
strip1597
c1450 Jacob's Well (1900) 217 (MED) Myn eyȝe has robbyd my soule of his lyif with watyr of lustys.
1563 2nd Tome Homelyes Rogation Week i. ⁋6 Iusticiaries and hipocrites, which rob Almighty God of this honour, and ascribe it to themselues.
1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 16 My weake bodie..Was rob'd of rest and naturall reliefe.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII iii. ii. 256 Thy Ambition..robb'd this bewailing Land Of Noble Buckingham. View more context for this quotation
1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. xii. sig. Ff1 A Cloud, which does no longer receive or transmit the Light, but robs the Earth of it.
1692 tr. C. de Saint-Évremond Misc. Ess. 11 The Zeal of the Citizen robbed the Man of himself.
1720 J. Ozell et al. tr. R. A. de Vertot Hist. Revol. Rom. Republic II. x. 155 To rob his Enemy of the cruel Pleasure of determining the kind of..Death.
1762 A. Dickson Treat. Agric. i. xi. 86 By allowing them to grow, we allow the land..to be robbed of its vegetable food.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset II. lxiii. 211 The troubles of life had almost robbed the elder lady of her beauty.
1878 T. H. Huxley Physiography (ed. 2) 78 The air..which had been thus robbed of its oxygen.
1926 E. Walrond Tropic Death 18 The sun had robbed the land of its juice, squeezed it dry.
1961 J. Carew Last Barbarian 90 Six years of wealth and easy living had robbed her of any ambition she might have had.
1983 H. Jacobson Coming from Behind iv. 76 Cora's language emptied life of all its meaning for him, robbed romance of all its charm.
2008 New Yorker 15 Sept. 13/3 Half a century of performing can rob the staunchest singer of his or her vocal powers.
4. † b. intransitive. With of (the thing taken). Obsolete.
a. intransitive. To plunder or pillage; to commit robbery.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > rob [verb (intransitive)]
ripeOE
robc1325
to-reavea1400
to have it off1865
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 6041 Hii drowe hom toward kanterbury to robb [v.rr. robbi, robby; B.v.r. rebbe] þere al so.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) v. 207 (MED) Every thief upon richesse Awaiteth forto robbe and stele.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 5686 To swynke and traueile he not feyntith For for to Robben he disdeyntith.
c1475 Mankind (1969) 708 Ȝe xall goo robbe, stell, and kyll.
a1535 T. More Dialoge of Comfort (1553) ii. xvii. sig. L.iiii I meane not let euery malefactor passe foorth vnpunished and freli runne out and robbe at rouers.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. ii. 11 I am accurst to rob in that theeues companie. View more context for this quotation
1662 H. Hibbert Body Divinity I. 165 A man may rob with a pair of ballances or metewand in his hand.
1682 London Gaz. No. 1737/4 They Robbed the night before on Brainford-Road.
1733 A. Pope Impertinent 10 Who makes a Trust, or Charity, a Job, And gets an Act of Parliament to rob.
1768 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. IV. 15 An attempt to rob, to ravish, or to kill, is far less penal than the actual robbery, rape, or murder.
1831 Insect Misc. (L.E.K.) 330 Sometimes..small parties of three or four [bees] will unite to rob, as we may say, on the highway.
1897 H. G. Wells Invisible Man xxiii ‘You were—well, robbing.’ ‘Robbing! Confound it! You'll call me a thief next!’
1939 K. Tennant Foveaux ii. iv. 176 Everybody bludges and robs.
1980 J. Morrison & C. F. Zabusky Amer. Mosaic (1982) i. 19 Once they knew that we were unprotected, they began to kill, rob, beat, anything, everything.
2002 Daily Tel. 19 Feb. 6 Meredith was acquitted of conspiracy to rob but convicted of conspiracy to steal.
ΚΠ
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy 3209 Parys..to the tempull full tyte turnyt agayne, To rob of þe Riches and Renkes to helpe.
1660 I. Penington Root of Popery Pref. sig. A2 He Endeavoured..to rob of the Eye-Salve wherewith the Eye must be annointed to see the things of God.
5.
a. transitive. To take (something) unlawfully; to steal. Also with †of, from: to steal (something) from. Now chiefly colloquial and regional.Criticized in some usage guides after the mid 20th cent. as incorrect or nonstandard; Merriam-Webster's Dict. Eng. Usage (1994) 823/1 writes ‘we find it occurring only in news reports’ and ‘we cannot recommend its cultivation’; likewise R. W. Burchfield New Fowler's Mod. Eng. Usage (ed. 3) (1996) 678/1 remarks that it ‘is falling into disuse and should be avoided’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > robbery > rob [verb (transitive)] > seize by robbery
reaveOE
robc1325
blag1933
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > [verb (transitive)] > to steal
robc1325
thief1836
wog1970
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 381 (MED) Strange men..asaileden is lond..& robbed is bestes & is game.
c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) l. 4714 (MED) Fiue hundred waines after go, Ycharged..Wiþ fische and flesche and win red Robbed of men of þe cuntray.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) 1 Kings xxx. 19 What euere thyngis þei hadden robbid [L. rapuerant], alle dauyd broȝte aȝeen.
c1400 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Laud) (1952) 3451 (MED) Hij robbeden tresores and cloþes And brenten tounes and þe heþes.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 16014 (MED) Swych goostly goodys euerychon Ben yrobbyd And agon.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 693/1 I robbe his treasour from hym.
1579 W. Wilkinson Confut. Familye of Loue Ep. Ded. sig. *ij Whiche Vine the Foxes sometimes spoyle and endamage by robbyng the fruite.
1646 R. Baillie Anabaptism 10 The Priests vestments, which he had robbed in the Cathedrall.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iv, in tr. Virgil Wks. 131 They themselves contrive To Rob the Honey, and subvert the Hive. View more context for this quotation
1744 J. Thomson Summer in Seasons (new ed.) 86 Thou art no Ruffian, who beneath the Mask Of social Commerce com'st to rob their Wealth.
1791 E. Darwin Bot. Garden: Pt. I i. 150 Lull to slumber Envy's haggard mien, And rob her quiver'd shafts with hand unseen.
1830 T. Campbell Farewell to Love 7 But Passion robs my peace no more.
1887 C. A. Moloney Sketch Forestry W. Afr. 176 The descendants of the Negroes who were robbed from Africa.
1919 G. B. Shaw Heartbreak House ii, in Heartbreak House, Great Catherine, & Playlets of War 77 I should rob all the money back from Mangan.
1977 Irish Press 29 Sept. 5/5 Vincent Walker..was found guilty of robbing the sum of £8,798.
2001 C. Glazebrook Madolescents xxiv. 210 I spot a fab black shrug..only it's geet expensive and there's no point trying to rob it as the assistants have eyes in the back of their heads.
2007 Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) (Nexis) 2 Dec. c6 Invaders robbed jewelry and money from his suburban Chicago mansion.
b. transitive. figurative. To take away; to remove. Chiefly with from, †of. Also with away.In quot. 1597: to prevent from.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > separate [verb (transitive)] > separate from > cut off from
exilec1330
rob1340
privea1387
stop1398
privatec1425
strangec1430
interclude1569
intercept1576
circumcise1613
prescind1640
the mind > emotion > pleasure > joy, gladness, or delight > rapture or ecstasy > transport with rapture or ecstasy [verb (transitive)] > ravish the heart
enrach1509
rob1596
the world > space > place > removal or displacement > remove or displace [verb (transitive)] > remove or take away
ateec885
withbreidec890
animOE
overbearOE
to do awayOE
flitc1175
reavec1175
takec1175
to have away?a1300
to draw awayc1300
weve13..
to wend awaya1325
withdrawa1325
remuec1325
to carry away1363
to take away1372
waive1377
to long awaya1382
oftakec1390
to draw offa1398
to do froa1400
forflitc1420
amove?a1425
to carry out?a1425
surtrayc1440
surtretec1440
twistc1440
abstract1449
ostea1450
remove1459
ablatea1475
araisea1475
redd1479
dismove1480
diminish?1504
convey1530
alienate1534
retire1536
dimove1540
reversec1540
subtractc1540
submove1542
sublate1548
pare1549
to pull in1549
exempt1553
to shift off1567
retract?1570
renversec1586
aufer1587
to lay offa1593
rear1596
retrench1596
unhearse1596
exemea1600
remote1600
to set off1600
subduct1614
rob1627
extraneize1653
to bring off1656
to pull back1656
draft1742
extract1804
reef1901
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 199 (MED) Vor hi is of al y-robbed, and y-piȝt ine god.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xiv. 132 (MED) Allas! þat ricchesse shal reue and robbe mannes soule Fram þe loue of owre lorde.
?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 205 A þeef þat robbiþ worschip and honour fro me þat am his maker.
?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 313/1 (MED) Þou were a þeef and robbidist poore folk fro þeir dewte.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. iv. sig. D4v The which..to it drew The eyes of all,..And hearts quite robbed with so glorious sight. View more context for this quotation
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II i. iii. 167 What is thy sentence but speechlesse death? Which robbes my tongue from breathing natiue breath. View more context for this quotation
1627 W. Duncomb in tr. V. d'Audiguier Tragi-comicall Hist. our Times Ep. Ded. sig. A2v By their conuersation, they may endeauour to rob away teadiousnes though but from one houre.
1720 R. Erskine Gospel-canticles v. 97 Death, Which robs from Souls immortal Joy, from Body's mortal Breath.
1876 T. Dutt tr. M. A. H. Viot in Sheaf gleaned in French Fields 8 The killing climate..robbed the colours from his cheek.
1892 E. M. Edmonds tr. G. Drosines Herb of Love xv. 163 If any woman shall take it into her head to rob thee from me, a serpent will devour her.
1905 R. Bridges Demeter ii. 34 Assail Poseidon's ears; Rob pleasure from his days.
1967 J. B. Keane Lett. Successful T.D. (1968) ix. 72 The worry of him had the sleep robbed from me.
1995 New Scientist 25 Feb. 9/1 Larger tennis balls would restore the excitement that modern, high-tech rackets have robbed from Wimbledon.
6. transitive. Cards. To exchange a card in one's hand for (a chosen card from the deck); to take a card or cards from (the deck) in this way. Also intransitive. Now rare.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > play a card [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics > deal, shuffle, or cut
cutc1555
deal1560
rob1575
shuffle1589
fuzz1753
pass1859
flitter1864
split1866
ruffle1872
make1876
trey1888
1575 T. Churchyard 1st Pt. Chippes f. 54 v A pack was made, and one had got the ace And trimly robd, the trumps before my face.
1604 T. Churchyard sig. A3 A firmy Card, is robbed from the deck.
1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Piller,..also, to rub, or rob, at cards.
1897 R. F. Foster Compl. Hoyle 277 (Spoil Five) Robbing the trump card. If the trump card is an ace, the dealer may discard any card he pleases in exchange for it.
1897 R. F. Foster Compl. Hoyle 299 (Cinch) He may search the remainder of the pack, and take from it any cards that he pleases. This is called robbing the deck.
1988 P. Arnold Bk. Card Games 89/1 With two or three players the dealer does not rob the pack, he discards and draws as the other players.
7. Mining.
a. transitive. Of an undesired metal or other substance: to cause (a mine or an ore) to be less rich, or more difficult to work or refine, because of its presence Cf. robber n. 3.
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1651 J. French tr. J. R. Glauber Descr. New Philos. Furnaces 153 The Aqua Regia by its acidity hath mortified the salt of Tartar, and robbed it of its vertues so, that it could not choose but let fall the assumed pebles or sand.]
1674 R. Boyle Observ. Growth of Metals in Their Ore in Wks. (1744) III. 459/1 They found it so richly impregnated with metalline particles, that it was wrought over again with very good profit, and preferred to some other mines, that were actually wrought, and had never been so robbed.
1797 Encycl. Brit. II. 86/2 Sometimes it [sc. antimony] is blended with the richer ores of silver, and renders the extraction of that metal difficult by volatilizing a part of the silver, or, in the language of the miners, robbing the ore.
1873 Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 1871–2 12 156 The ochre must become a fluid double silicate, without robbing the ore, and will carry off the titanic acid in excess.
1992 D. J. Birak et al. in H. L. Hartman SME Mining Engin. Handbk. (ed. 2) I. v. 376/1 This was expressed as the percentage of gold robbed by organic carbon constituents of the ore.
b. transitive. To take coal or ore from (pillars in a mine); to deprive (pillars) of ore. Also: to extract (ore) from pillars.
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society > occupation and work > industry > mining > mine [verb (intransitive)] > other specific activities in mining
trench1786
rob1811
tamp1819
ride1854
slab1871
1811 J. Farey Gen. View Agric. Derbyshire I. 350 The wide Ribs and Pillars at first left, are robbed, as it is called, of as much of their substance as the Colliers dare, for fear of their lives by the falling of the roof.
1850 C. Colwell Money v. Life 71 The deplorable accident..took place in that colliery in the year 1837; the accident was caused by robbing a portion of the pillars underneath the Irish Sea.
1893 Rep. Comm. Waste of Coal Mining (Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) 144 Estimating the quantity of coal which could still be mined and robbed from pillars in this area gives the following results.
1908 Copper Handbk. 8 iv. 65 When a mine is considered worked out it is customary to rob the ore from the pillars and permit the mine to cave in.
1912 H. C. Hoover & L. H. Hoover in tr. Georgius Agricola De Re Metallica iv. 83 Diphilos was condemned to death and his fortune confiscated for robbing pillars. The mines were worked with slaves.
1918 J. F. McClelland in R. Peele Mining Engineers' Handbk. x. 724 Pillars are usually robbed by taking slices (‘skips’) off the ribs, the roof being temporarily supported by props.
1999 Rocks & Minerals (Nexis) 1 May 160 Pillars that were stripped or robbed of ore farthest from the main drift are 12 x 20 feet.
8. Archaeology.
a. transitive. To remove stone, etc., from (a structure) for reuse. Also with out.
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1778 W. Hutchinson View Northumberland II. 109 The monastery is now in ragged ruins, and not worthy to be delineated, the walls having been robbed for the buildings in the village.
1868 Proc. Philos. Soc. Glasgow 6 260 The [stone] casing was robbed by certain Khaliphs, for the purpose of furnishing the material out of which were built the aqueducts and mosques.
1931 Jrnl. Rom. Stud. 21 86 In view of the age-long scarcity of large stones, the wall may have been much more extensively robbed than appears.
1982 Rescue News No. 26. 4/4 The grave was partially cut into a wall trench which had already been robbed out.
2004 Corinth 9 7 The stage building..was thereafter robbed for building blocks with some urgency in order to strengthen the city's defenses.
b. transitive. To remove (stone, etc.) from a structure for reuse as building material. Also with away, out.
ΚΠ
1875 Jrnl. Brit. Archaeol. Assoc. 31 404 Huge masses of rubble-work which had been thrown down when the spoilers robbed the hewn stone and ashlar.
1911 Jrnl. Rom. Stud. 1 165 Its treasures of carved stone and marble have been robbed for later buildings.
1953 R. J. C. Atkinson Field Archaeol. (ed. 2) ii. 72 On many Roman and later sites where ancient buildings have once stood, the stone will have been partially or completely robbed from the walls and foundations for re-use elsewhere.
1981 Glasgow Archaeol. Jrnl. 8 52/1 Almost everything above the Roman floor levels had been destroyed or robbed away.
2001 Oxoniensia 65 355 The top 1.8 m. of the stone had been robbed out.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2010; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
> see also
also refers to : rob-comb. form
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n.1?a1425
n.21866
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