あばら

Recorded since at least the early 900s CE.^[1][2] Cognate with verb 暴れる (abareru, “to be disorderly, to be wild, to be violent”).^[1][2] Likely also cognate with verb あばく (abaku, “to dig up; to unrestrict, to cut loose; to expose”), adverb and adjective ばらばら (barabara, “scattered; inconsistent; disordered; in a disordered fashion”), verbs ばれる (bareru, “to be exposed; to be broken down”) and ばらす (barasu, “to expose; to break something down”). Possibly also cognate with adjective 淡い (awai, “faint, slight (as of a color or emotion); inconsistent, disjointed, flippant, frivolous (as of thought or behavior)”).

• IPA^(key):

• Pitch accent uncertain.

あばら • (abara) -na (adnominal あばらな (abara na), adverbial あばらに (abara ni))

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) 荒ら, 荒, 疎ら, 疎: loosely spaced, sparse, with large gaps, wide open
2. (archaic, possibly obsolete) 荒ら, 荒, 疎ら, 疎: broken down, ruined, wild
3. (archaic, possibly obsolete) 荒ら, 荒, 疎ら, 疎: not heartfelt, insincere, flippant (as of behavior or attitude)

Modern dictionaries do not indicate any pitch accent for this term,^[2][3] suggesting that it has fallen out of use as a standalone term. It persists in some compounds.

Shortened from the longer expression 肋骨 (abarabone, “rib, rib bone”), itself derived from abara above by extension from the sense of with large gaps, as in bones with gaps between in reference to the gaps between the ribs.^[4]

• (Tokyo) あばら (Heiban – )^[2]
• IPA^(key):

あばら • (abara) 

1. 肋: rib, rib cage