Definition of rebuke

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rebus >

re·buke    (r-byk) KEY 

TRANSITIVE VERB:
re·buked, re·buk·ing, re·bukes

1. To criticize or reprove sharply; reprimand. See Synonyms at admonish.
2. To check or repress.

NOUN:

A sharp reproof.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English rebuken, from Old North French rebuker : re-, back (from Latin; see re-) + *buker, to strike, chop wood (variant of Old French buschier, from busche, firewood, of Germanic origin)