Word of the Day

: October 23, 2009

rebus

noun REE-bus

What It Means

: a representation of syllables or words by means of pictures or symbols; also : a riddle made up of such pictures or symbols

rebus in Context

The answer to yesterday’s rebus, which showed a man on an Ark, a spider web, and a spoon stirring coffee, was "Noah Webster."

Did You Know?

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.