ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rubbing

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈɹəbɪŋ// UK //ɹˈʌbɪŋ// rub·bing

n. an image made by placing paper over a textured surface and pressing a pencil or crayon across it. You use this to copy the pattern of something like a coin or a stone.

n. a reproduction of a textured surface or relief, created by placing paper over the object and applying a marking medium such as graphite or wax. Often used to document historical inscriptions or architectural details.


SIMPLE

The child made a rubbing of a leaf with a green crayon.

CONTEXTUAL

Historians often take a rubbing of old gravestones to preserve the text before the stone weathers away completely.

COMPLEX

The museum's collection includes a detailed rubbing of the temple's frieze, capturing intricate carvings that have since been lost to environmental degradation and urban pollution.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English rubbinge, rubbynge, equivalent to rub + -ing.

Etymology 2

From rub + -ing.

Usage

Commonly used with the verb 'to take' or 'to make'.

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