rock-ribbed

The term "rock-ribbed" is a vivid American English compound adjective from the early 19th century. It originated as a literal geological description of landscapes characterized by prominent, unyielding ridges of bedrock, evoking an image of solidity and permanence. This concrete imagery was then metaphorically extended to describe people, particularly in politics, whose convictions are as firm, unbending, and deeply entrenched as the rocky ribs of a mountain. The logic of the word perfectly captures the transition from a physical description of the land to an abstract characterization of steadfast, often conservatively traditional, belief systems.

Structure: rock (stone) + rib (bone) + ed (adjective suffix) - rock: From Old English rocc, of uncertain origin, possibly Celtic. In this compound, it functions as a noun used attributively to mean "of or like rock." - rib: From Old English ribb, meaning a rib of the body or a structural ridge. In this compound, it functions as a noun meaning a long, narrow, raised part or ridge. - ed: A Middle English suffix from Old English -ede, used to form adjectives from nouns, meaning "having, provided with, characterized by."