swab

Wikipedia

English

Pronunciation

• enPR: swŏb, IPA: /swɒb/, X-SAMPA: /swQb/

  Rhymes: -ɒb

Noun

swab (plural swabs)

1. (medicine) a small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access.
2. A sample taken with a swab (1).
3. A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns.
4. A mop, especially on a ship.
5. (slang) A sailor; a swabby.

Synonyms

• (sailor): swabby

Translations

a small piece of soft, absorbent material

• Dutch: watje, prop (nl)

• Spanish: hisopo (es) m ( Arg., Mex., Ur. y Ven.)

A sample taken with a swab

• Dutch: uitstrijkje (nl)

A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns

• Dutch: poetsvod,doekje (nl)

A mop, especially on a ship

• Dutch: zwabber (nl)

• Swedish: svabb (sv)

A sailor

• Dutch: koopvaardijmatroos (nl)

Verb

swab (third-person singular simple present swabs, present participle swabbing, simple past and past participle swabbed)

1. (transitive) To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab
   • swab the decks: mop the deck of a ship

Translations

To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab

• Dutch: zwabberen, dweilen (nl)
• Luxembourgish: betuppen (lb)

• Russian: вытирать (ru) (vytiratʹ), чистить (ru) (čistitʹ)
• Swedish: svabba (sv), moppa (sv), våttorka (sv)