rubbing

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
noun representation consisting of a copy (as of an engraving) made by laying paper over something and rubbing it with charcoal
noun effort expended in moving one object over another with pressure

From Middle English rubbinge, rubbynge, equivalent to rub + -ing.

I fear too much rubbing. — Love's Labour's Lost, William Shakespeare
Gniding: Rubbing, polishing; Anglo-Saxon “gnidan”, to rub. — The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems, Geoffrey Chaucer
Savages often kindle wood by means of rapid rubbing. — The Mysterious Island, Jules Verne

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