A 'rebus' puzzle uses pictures or symbols to represent syllables or words. The word comes from the Latin 'rebus', meaning 'by things', and these puzzles use sound-alikes to convey a message.
Un acertijo 'rebus' utiliza imágenes o símbolos para representar sílabas o palabras. La palabra proviene del latín 'rebus', que significa 'por cosas', y estos acertijos usan la homofonía para transmitir un mensaje.
| Word | rebus |
|---|---|
| Date | May 19, 2017 |
| Type | noun |
| Syllables | REE-bus |
| Etymology | A rebus communicates its message by means of pictures or symbols whose names sound like various parts of a word, phrase, or sentence. For example, a picture of a can of tomatoes followed by the letters UC and a picture of a well means "Can you see well?" In Latin, the word rebus means "by things"; rebus is a form of the Latin word res, which means "thing." English speakers started using the word rebus for picture writing in the early 1600s. |
| Examples | The answer to yesterday's rebus, which showed a man on an ark, a spider web, and a spoon stirring coffee, was "Noah Webster." "The books are rebuses: They combine normally written words with emojis that substitute for words or parts of words." — Jessica Roy, The Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2016 |
| Definition | : a representation of syllables or words by means of pictures or symbols; also : a riddle made up of such pictures or symbols |
Tags: wordoftheday::noun
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