From Middle English riban, ryban, ryband, from Old French riban, ruban ( > modern French ruban), of uncertain origin.

• IPA: /ˈɹɪbən/

ribbon

1. A long, narrow strip of material used for decoration of clothing or the hair or gift wrapping.
   • 1648, Robert Herrick, “Delight in Disorder”, in Hesperides: Or, The Works both Humane & Divine […], London: […] John Williams, and Francis Eglesfield, and are to be sold by Tho[mas] Hunt, […], →OCLC ↗, page 29 ↗:

     A Svveet diſorder in the dreſſe / Kindles in cloathes a vvantonneſſe: / […] / A Cuffe neglectfull, and thereby / Ribbands to flovv confuſedly: / […] / Do more bevvitch me, than vvhen Art / Is too preciſe in every part.

2. An awareness ribbon.
3. An inked strip of material against which type is pressed to print letters in a typewriter or printer.
   • 2018, Mark J. P. Wolf, The Routledge Companion to Media Technology and Obsolescence:

     They were single-shift, frontstroke, typebar typewriters with four-bank QWERTY keyboards, inked by a ribbon.

4. A narrow strip or shred.

   a steel or magnesium ribbon

   sails torn to ribbons

   1. (cooking) In ice cream and similar confections, an ingredient (often chocolate, butterscotch, caramel, or fudge) added in a long narrow strip.
5. (shipbuilding) Alternative form of ribband
6. (nautical) A painted moulding on the side of a ship.
7. A watchspring.
8. A bandsaw.
9. (slang, dated, in the plural) Reins for a horse.
   • 1887, James Inglis, Our New Zealand Cousins:

     "Here, sir, hold the ribbons." This to me, throwing me the reins. Jack got down from his perch, and after a little search in the bush was rewarded by the capture of the poor dazed pigeon, who was consigned to safe custody in the boot.

10. (heraldry) A bearing similar to the bend, but only one eighth as wide.
11. (spinning) A sliver.
12. (journalism) A subheadline presented above its parent headline.
13. (computing, graphical user interface) A toolbar that incorporates tabs and menus.

• French: ruban
• German: Band
• Italian: nastro, fettuccia
• Portuguese: fita
• Russian: ле́нта
• Spanish: cinta, moño, lazo, galón

• French: ruban
• German: Farbband
• Italian: nastro, fettuccia
• Portuguese: fita
• Russian: ле́нта
• Spanish: cinta

• French: ruban
• Portuguese: faixa de opções

ribbon (ribbons, present participle ribboning; simple past and past participle ribboned)

1. (transitive) To decorate with ribbon.

   Synonyms: beribbon

2. (transitive) To stripe or streak.