rebuke

Definition of rebuke

Etymology

From Old French rebuchier, "to repulse". Of doubtful origin, maybe connected with French bouche, "mouth".

Pronunciation

• IPA: /riˈbjuːk/
• Audio (US) ^[?]

Noun

rebuke (plural rebukes)

1. A harsh criticism.
   
   * Lord Lundy Who was too Freely Moved to Tears, and thereby ruined his Political Career. Hillair Belloc.
   ...Or if his father Lord Dunquerque
   Said "Hi!" in a Commanding Tone,
   "Hi, Lundy! Leave the cat alone!"
   Lord Lundy, letting go its tail,
   would raise a terrible wail
   as his grandpa moved the Duke
   to utter the severe rebuke:
   "When I, sir, was a little boy,
   an animal was not a toy!"
   

Verb

to rebuke (third-person singular simple present rebukes, present participle rebuking, simple past and past participle rebuked)

1. To criticise harshly; to reprove.

Further reading

In English law and the canon law of the Church of England, a rebuke is a censure on a member of the clergy.[1][2] It is the least severe censure available against clergy of the Church of England, less severe than a monition.[2] A rebuke can be given in person by a bishop or by an ecclesiastical court.[2]

References

1. Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1963, art.49(1)(e)
2. a b c Doe, N. (1996). The Legal Framework of the Church of England: A Critical Study in a Comparative Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 216-217. ISBN 0198262205. (Google Books)