Cribb

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A surname of English origin ; an alternate spelling for a device or structure used to confine infants ; historically, a term referring to a small hut or cottage
2. Used as a family name ; referring to a wooden enclosure for a baby ; in old usage, indicating a modest dwelling or hut
3. Serving as an English last name ; describing a baby's bed with high sides ; once used to mean a simple cabin or small abode

Etymology: The word "crib" for a baby's high-sided bed has a surprisingly humble root: it comes from the Old English "cribb," which meant a manger, the trough from which livestock fed. The same word gave us the verb "to crib," meaning to copy or steal, and the noun for a cheat's notes, but those senses developed separately from the bed sense in later English. Because a manger is a fixed, boxed-in container, the step to a cot with barred sides is a short one. The meaning travelled from the feeding trough to a small enclosed bed, and the word also gave rise to the English surname Crib.

Synonyms: crib, pen, enclosure