kibe

Origin unknown, but first attested in Middle English. suggested origins and context Attestations in Shakespeare's time seem to suggest it was intended as mildly vulgar (compare zit) and metaphorical; see more at this Open Literature article, which claims Welsh as most probable origin: * Compare Welsh cibi, cibwst (“chilblain(s)”), although this itself may borrow from Middle English, and we may be dealing with some ancient unknown term. Compare English gyve (“schackles”), a medieval word that might also take from Celtic. There has been further theoretical conjecture as well: * Assuming the origin English or Welsh derived from is pre-Celtic, some have speculated a link to an Old European word from a British Vasconic substrate, in this case related to Basque gibiztin (“knot, bow”), compounded from a lost root *gibi, *kibi (“lump?”).