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Synonyms

rabbet

American  
[rab-it] / ˈræb ɪt /

noun

  1. a deep notch formed in or near one edge of a board, framing timber, etc., so that something else can be fitted into it or so that a door or the like can be closed against it.

  2. a broad groove let into the surface of a board or the like; dado.


verb (used with object)

rabbeted, rabbeting
  1. to cut a rabbet in (a board or the like).

  2. to join (boards or the like) by means of a rabbet or rabbets.

verb (used without object)

rabbeted, rabbeting
  1. to join by a rabbet (usually followed by on orover ).

rabbet British  
/ ˈræbɪt /

noun

  1. a recess, groove, or step, usually of rectangular section, cut into a surface or along the edge of a piece of timber to receive a mating piece

  2. a joint made between two pieces of timber using a rabbet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to cut or form a rabbet in (timber)

  2. to join (pieces of timber) using a rabbet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unrabbeted adjective

Etymology

Origin of rabbet

1350–1400; Middle English rabet < Old French rabat, derivative of rabattre to beat back, beat down; see rebate 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

After the hollowing out is completed, a rabbet one-eighth of an inch wide and deep is cut to receive the deck, its outer line being g h i k, Fig.

From Harper's Young People, April 6, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various

It also fits into a rabbet on the upper back side of the shelf.

From Handwork in Wood by Noyes, William

Why, why? and where man, have you been? at a Poulters That you are cas'd thus like a rabbet?

From The Little French Lawyer A Comedy by Beaumont, Francis

The carpenter's dependence on this tool lessened only after the perfection of multipurpose metallic planes that could be readily converted to cut a "rabbet."

From Woodworking Tools 1600-1900 by Welsh, Peter C.

Inherent in the bench planes is a feeling of motion, particularly in the plow and the rabbet where basic design alone conveys the idea that they were meant to move over fixed surfaces.

From Woodworking Tools 1600-1900 by Welsh, Peter C.