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rebarbative
Feb. 3rd, 2015 07:49 amrebarbative (ree-BAHR-buh-tiv) - adj., repellant; causing aversion, annoyance, or irritation.
Nothing to do with hooks or spines, but rather facial hair: adopted in the 1890s from French rébarbatif, from Middle French rebarber, to oppose/stand up to, from Old French se rebarber, to stand beard to beard against, from re- + barbe, beard, from Latin barba, beard. So the image is of a medieval guy with unkempt chin pushing up against your personal space -- that kind of repellant. Of course, I see it used of things like prose style, so what do I know.
---L.
Nothing to do with hooks or spines, but rather facial hair: adopted in the 1890s from French rébarbatif, from Middle French rebarber, to oppose/stand up to, from Old French se rebarber, to stand beard to beard against, from re- + barbe, beard, from Latin barba, beard. So the image is of a medieval guy with unkempt chin pushing up against your personal space -- that kind of repellant. Of course, I see it used of things like prose style, so what do I know.
---L.
