to apply pressure and move something back and forth across a surface, often to clean, polish, or ease pain.
From Middle English 'rubben', possibly from Low German 'rubben.' The onomatopoetic origins suggest the word mimics the sound and action itself.
Your body naturally does this—when you get a bruise, rubbing it triggers your nervous system to release pain-blocking chemicals before injury signals reach your brain, which is why 'rubbing it better' actually works!
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