RUBBLE  , broken

stone, of irregular size and shape . This word is closely connected in derivation with " rubbish," which was formerly also applied to what we now call " rubble." The earlier Middle English form was robeux or robows . It would appear that the original is an O . Fr. robel . Roba (older form robba) is found in Italian in the sense of refuse, trash . Robba is explained by Florio as a gown, or mantle, robe, wealth, goods, trash . The original sense was " spoil." Thus, " robe," " rob," " rubbish " and " rubble " are all cognate . " Rubble-work " is a name applied to several species of masonry (q.v.) . One kind, where the stones are loosely thrown together in a wall between boards and grouted with mortar almost like concrete, is called in Italian muraglia di getto and in French bocage . Work executed with large stones put together without any attempt at courses is also called rubble .