[Arab. *rabāb] (Engl., Fr.: rebec; It.: ribeca; Sp.: rabel), bowed chordophone of the high Middle Ages and of the Renaissance, evolved from the Arab. rabāb, which can be traced back to the 11th c. From the 13th to 16th c. it was chiefly known as *rubeba; the early Fr. form was rebebe, and the Engl. form rebeck
appeared in the literature of the early 15th c. Its small piriform wooden body and short neck were made of a single piece of...
