ribbonbackEtymologyFrom ribbon + back.nounA decorative chairback made with slender rails of wood.“No overstuffed chairs here; just slender, carved legs, and curved arms, ribbonbacks and French satin cushions.”A chair having this kind of back.“We sat in our Chippendale ribbonbacks, sipping green tea and goats' milk, with Osborne biscuits in the saucer.”