'ribwort' originates from Old English, specifically from the elements 'rib' and 'wort', where 'rib' meant 'rib' and 'wort' (Old English 'wyrt') meant 'plant' or 'herb'.

'ribwort' developed in Middle English as a compound of 'rib' and 'wort' (from Old English 'wyrt') referring to a plant with ribbed leaves, and the form eventually stabilized as the modern English word 'ribwort'.

Initially it meant 'a plant characterized by rib-like veins in its leaves,' and over time it has retained that basic meaning as the common name for Plantago lanceolata.