See Also: rebus(medicine)
rebus(dictionary)
IN REBUS(law)
rebus sic stantibus(dictionary)

rebus (iou)



rebus noun & verb. E17.
[French rebus from Latin rebus abl. pl. of res thing, in de rebus quae geruntur lit. 'concerning the things that are taking place', title given in 16th-cent. Picardy to satirical pieces containing riddles in picture form.]
A. noun. A representation of a word or phrase by pictures, symbols, arrangement of letters, etc., which suggest the word or phrase, or the syllables of which it is made up; spec. a device, often of heraldic appearance, suggesting the name of its bearer. E17.
G. Norman IOU..is a rebus for 'I owe you.'
b. verb trans. Infl. -s(s)-. Mark with a rebus or rebuses. rare. M17.