Rebuke

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɹiˈbjuːk/

Origin

From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker ("to beat back, repel"), from re- + Old French *buker, buchier, buschier ("to strike, hack down, chop"), from busche ("wood"), from Vulgar Latin buska ("wood, grove"), from Frankish *busc, *busk ("grove"), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz ("bush"). More at re-, bush.

Full definition of rebuke

Noun

1. A harsh criticism.
• 2012, July 15. Richard Williams in Guardian Unlimited, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off trackThere was the sternness of an old-fashioned Tour patron in his rebuke to the young Frenchman Pierre Rolland, the only one to ride away from the peloton and seize the opportunity for a lone attack before being absorbed back into the bunch, where he was received with coolness.

Verb

1. To criticise harshly; to reprove.

Synonyms