Meaning

noun a rectangular groove made to hold two pieces together

verb join with a rabbet joint

verb cut a rectangular groove into

originFrom Middle English rabeten, from Old French raboter, rabouter (“to thrust back”, verb), from Old French re- + boter, bouter. Doublet of rebut. The noun is from Middle English rabet, from Old French rabot, from the verb.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0