# robe

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɹəʊb/ · frequency rank #14,626

## Definitions
1. A long loose outer garment, often signifying honorary stature.
2. The skin of an animal, especially the bison, dressed with the fur on, and used as a wrap.
3. A wardrobe, especially one built into a bedroom.
4. The largest and strongest tobacco leaves.

## Etymology
From Middle English robe, roobe, from Old French robe, robbe, reube (“booty, spoils of war, robe, garment”), from Frankish *rouba, *rauba (“booty, spoils, stolen clothes”, literally “things taken”), from Proto-Germanic *raubō, *raubaz, *raubą (“booty, that which is stripped or carried away”), from Proto-Indo-European *Hrewp- (“to tear, peel”).
cognates and related terms
Akin to Old High German roup (“booty”) (Modern German Raub (“robbery, spoils”)), Old High German roubōn (“to rob, steal”) (Modern German rauben (“to rob”)), Old English rēaf (“spoils, booty, dress, armour, robe, garment”), Old English rēafian (“to steal, deprive”). Cognate with Spanish ropa (“clothing, clothes”). More at rob, reaf, reave.

## Easily confused with
- **row** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-row)
- **Roy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-roy)
- **Ron** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-ron)
- **rod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rod)
- **rub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rub)
- **ROM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rom)
- **rot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rot)
- **rue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rue)
- **rye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rye)
- **roe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-roe)
- **Roi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-roi)
- **roc** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-roc)
- **ROS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-ros)
- **roo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-roo)
- **Roh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-roh)
- **Rog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rog)
- **room** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-room)
- **rock** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rock)
- **rule** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rule)
- **rose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/robe-vs-rose)

## Common misspellings (5)
`orbe`, `rboe`, `robbe`, `roeb`, `rrobe`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/robe