Reuben

Meaning

Name

1. First son of Jacob, by his wife Leah.
2. A male given name from Hebrew.
3. A surname transferred from the given name
4. (informal) Ellipsis of Reuben College, Oxford.

Noun

1. A grilled or toasted sandwich made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and either Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing.
2. A member of one of the Israelite tribes, descended from Reuben.

Synonyms

farmer

🧑‍🌾

rustic

Hyphenated as

Reu‧ben

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɹuː.bən/

Etymology

* From Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (r'uvén), from רְאוּ (r'ú, “see [masculine plural imperative]”) + בֵּן (ben, “son”); its literal meaning is therefore roughly, "See, all: a son!"
* There are several unconfirmed etymologies for the name of the sandwich.