spareribs
UK[ˌspeəˈrɪbz]US[ˈsperˌrɪbz]
n
a cut of meat, especially pork, consisting of ribs with most of the meat trimmed off.
n
a dish prepared from this cut of meat.
Morpheme Breakdown
spare
ribs
spare
to refrain from using, be frugal
ribs
rib
Etymology
the term 'spareribs' has a somewhat deceptive origin, rooted in culinary frugality rather than abundance. the 'spare' component derives from the germanic concept of frugality or leanness, referring not to extra ribs but to the ribs being relatively bare or spare of meat compared to other cuts. the 'ribs' element is a straightforward descriptor of the anatomical part. thus, the compound originally described a lean, economical cut of pork, a meaning that has persisted into modern usage where it denotes a specific, meat-trimmed section of ribs. the evolution from a descriptor of frugality to a standardized culinary term illustrates how practical necessity shapes language.
Analysis
Structure: spare + ribs
spare (from middle english 'sparen', old english 'sparian', meaning 'to refrain from using, be frugal'); ribs (from old english 'ribb', meaning 'rib').
Examples
the restaurant is famous for its sweet and sticky barbecued spareribs.
she slow-cooked the pork spareribs in a savory sauce for hours.
for the picnic, he prepared a large platter of grilled spareribs.