ruby

[ roo-bee ]
See synonyms for ruby on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural ru·bies.
  1. a red variety of corundum, used as a gem.

  2. something made of this stone or one of its imitations, as a bearing in a watch.

  1. a deep-red port wine.

  2. deep red; carmine.

  3. Ruby, Digital Technology. an open-source, high-level programming language that is purely object-oriented.

  4. British Printing. a 5½-point type, nearly corresponding in size to American agate.

adjective
  1. ruby-colored: ruby lips.

  2. containing or set or adorned with a ruby or rubies: a ruby necklace.

Origin of ruby

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun rubi from Old French, from Old Provençal robi(n) , from Medieval Latin rubīnus (lapis) “red (stone),” derivative of Latin ruber, rubeus red1

Other words from ruby

  • ru·by·like, adjective

Other definitions for Ruby (2 of 2)

Ruby
[ roo-bee ]

noun
  1. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for ruby

ruby

/ (ˈruːbɪ) /


nounplural -bies
  1. a deep red transparent precious variety of corundum: occurs naturally in Myanmar and Sri Lanka but is also synthesized. It is used as a gemstone, in lasers, and for bearings and rollers in watchmaking. Formula: Al 2 O 3

    • the deep-red colour of a ruby

    • (as adjective): ruby lips

    • something resembling, made of, or containing a ruby

    • (as modifier): ruby necklace

  1. (modifier) denoting a fortieth anniversary: our ruby wedding

  2. (formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 5 1/2 point

Origin of ruby

1
C14: from Old French rubi, from Latin rubeus reddish, from ruber red

Derived forms of ruby

  • ruby-like, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ruby

ruby

[ rōō ]


  1. A deep-red, translucent variety of the mineral corundum, containing small amounts of chromium and valued as a gem. Compare sapphire.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.