re·buke

[ri-byook] verb, re·buked, re·buk·ing, noun
verb (used with object)
1.
to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand.
noun
2.
sharp, stern disapproval; reproof; reprimand.

Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English rebuken (v.) < Anglo-French rebuker (Old French rebuchier) to beat back, equivalent to re- re- + bucher to beat, strike < Germanic

re·buk·a·ble, adjective
re·buk·er, noun
re·buk·ing·ly, adverb
un·re·buk·a·ble, adjective
un·re·buked, adjective


1. censure, upbraid, chide, admonish. See reproach. 2. reproach, remonstration, censure.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Relevant Questions
00:10
Rebuke is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
to bark; yelp.
Collins
World English Dictionary
rebuke (rɪˈbjuːk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  (tr) to scold or reprimand (someone)
 
n
2.  a reprimand or scolding
 
[C14: from Old Norman French rebuker, from re- + Old French buchier to hack down, from busche log, of Germanic origin]
 
re'bukable
 
adj
 
re'buker
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rebuke
early 14c., from Anglo-Fr. rebuker "to repel, beat back," O.Fr. rebuchier, from re- "back" + buschier "to strike, chop wood," from busche (Fr. bûche) "wood," from P.Gmc. *busk- (see bush). The noun is first attested early 15c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
We may blame the students, castigate them as lazy or lacking commitment, and even rebuke the students.
And last night, the president's announcement of an escalation is a total rebuke
  of your confident pronouncement.
It was a stern but even rebuke, a teaching moment that likely occurs on
  hundreds of campuses daily.
There could be no clearer rebuke of tyranny, nor a stronger affirmation of
  freedom.
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