To furnish or strengthen with ribs, as in construction or anatomy.
From en- (prefix meaning 'to cause to be') + rib (Old English, from Proto-Germanic). The prefix transforms the noun 'rib' into a verb meaning to add ribs to something.
Medieval shipbuilders and architects used this term when they'd strengthen wooden structures by adding rib-like supports—you can still see these ribs in old cathedrals and ships today.
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