ribbon
    n 1: any long object resembling a thin line; "a mere ribbon of
         land"; "the lighted ribbon of traffic"; "from the air the
         road was a grey thread"; "a thread of smoke climbed upward"
         [syn: ribbon, thread]
    2: an award for winning a championship or commemorating some
       other event [syn: decoration, laurel wreath, medal,
       medallion, palm, ribbon]
    3: a long strip of inked material for making characters on paper
       with a typewriter [syn: ribbon, typewriter ribbon]
    4: notion consisting of a narrow strip of fine material used for
       trimming

Ribbon \Rib"bon\, n. [OE. riban, OF. riban, F. ruban, probably
   of German origin; cf. D. ringband collar, necklace, E. ring
   circle, and band.] [Written also riband, ribband.]
   1. A fillet or narrow woven fabric, commonly of silk, used
      for trimming some part of a woman's attire, for badges,
      and other decorative purposes.
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   2. A narrow strip or shred; as, a steel or magnesium ribbon;
      sails torn to ribbons.
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   3. (Shipbuilding) Same as Rib-band.
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   4. pl. Driving reins. [Cant] --London Athenaeum.
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   5. (Her.) A bearing similar to the bend, but only one eighth
      as wide.
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   6. (Spinning) A silver.
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   Note: The blue ribbon, and The red ribbon, are phrases often
         used to designate the British orders of the Garter and
         of the Bath, respectively, the badges of which are
         suspended by ribbons of these colors. See Blue
         ribbon, under Blue.
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   Ribbon fish. (Zool.)
      (a) Any elongated, compressed, ribbon-shaped marine fish
          of the family Trachypteridae, especially the species
          of the genus Trachypterus, and the oarfish
          (Regelecus Banksii) of the North Atlantic, which is
          sometimes over twenty feet long.
      (b) The hairtail, or bladefish.
      (c) A small compressed marine fish of the genus Cepola,
          having a long, slender, tapering tail. The European
          species (Cepola rubescens) is light red throughout.
          Called also band fish.

   Ribbon grass (Bot.), a variety of reed canary grass having
      the leaves stripped with green and white; -- called also
      Lady's garters. See Reed grass, under Reed.

   Ribbon seal (Zool.), a North Pacific seal (Histriophoca
      fasciata). The adult male is dark brown, conspicuously
      banded and striped with yellowish white.

   Ribbon snake (Zool.), a common North American snake
      (Eutainia saurita). It is conspicuously striped with
      bright yellow and dark brown.

   Ribbon Society, a society in Ireland, founded in the early
      part of the 19th century in antagonism to the Orangemen.
      It afterwards became an organization of tennant farmers
      banded together to prevent eviction by landlords. It took
      its name from the green ribbon worn by members as a badge.
      

   Ribborn worm. (Zool.)
      (a) A tapeworm.
      (b) A nemertean.
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Ribbon \Rib"bon\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ribboned; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Ribboning.]
   To adorn with, or as with, ribbons; to mark with stripes
   resembling ribbons.
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