ribald means coarsely, vulgarly, or lewdly amusing; referring to sexual matters in a rude or irreverent way. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.
ribald is pronounced /ˈɹɪb.əld/.
Why “ribald” is a great word
RIBALD — [Adjective] Coarsely, vulgarly, or lewdly amusing, especially in reference to sexual matters. From Middle English ribald/ribaud, from Old French ribaud/ribauld ("rogue, scoundrel"), from Old French riber ("to be licentious"), from Frankish *rīban ("to copulate, to rub"), from Proto-Germanic *wrībaną ("to turn, twist, writhe"). Unlike "bawdy," which suggests boisterous, good-natured fun, or "obscene," which implies a shocking offense to decency, ribald is irreverent mockery dressed in vulgarity. It is the peasant's guffaw at the lord's expense, the lewd gesture carved into a pew, the tavern tale that delights in puncturing all pretensions to purity—a coarse, enduring humor that rubs the sheen off everything until it looks merely, and comfortingly, human.
Etymology
From Middle English ribald, from Old French ribaud, ribauld (“rogue, scoundrel”) ( > English ribaud), from Old French riber (“to be licentious”), from Frankish *rīban (“to copulate, be in heat”, literally “to rub”), from Proto-Germanic *wrībaną (“to turn, twist, writhe”), from Proto-Indo-European *werp-, *werb- (“to turn, twist”) + Old French -aud, from Frankish *-wald.
Related to Old High German rīban (“to rub”), German reiben (“to rub”), Dutch wrijven (“to rub”). Compare also Old High German hrība (“prostitute”). See also English wrap.
adj
- Coarsely, vulgarly, or lewdly amusing; referring to sexual matters in a rude or irreverent way.“[L]et no zealous Christian trust the rogue,—the filthy ribald rascal is a liar.”
noun
- A person who is filthy or vulgar in nature.“After, he made an harlot, a ribald, come to him alone for to touch his members and his body, to move to lechery.”