tabby
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See also: Tabby
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Mid 17th century French tabis, from Arabic عَتَّابِيّ (ʕattābiyy), ultimately from Arabic الْعَتَّابِيَّة (al-ʕattābiyya), a quarter of Baghdad (named for a Prince عَتَّاب (ʕattāb)) which is associated with the manufacture of a certain type of waved silk. See also taffeta, another type of silk whose name derives from the Persian تافته (tâfta, “woven cloth”) and shares a similar etymological origin.
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
tabby (countable and uncountable, plural tabbies)
- (countable, uncountable) A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
- 1863, J[oseph] Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Church-yard. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Tinsley, Brothers, […], →OCLC:
- 'Ay, ay; she wore a flowered silk tabby sacque, on band days,' said Toole, who had an eye and a corner in his memory for female costume, 'a fine showy—I remember.'
- (uncountable) A mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry, this becomes as hard as rock.
- (countable) A brindled cat.
- 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 5]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
- A wise tabby, a blinking sphinx, watched from her warm sill. Pity to disturb them. Mohammed cut a piece out of his mantle not to wake her.
- (countable, archaic) An old maid or gossip.
Synonyms[edit]
- (An old maid or gossip): See Thesaurus:old woman
Translations[edit]
cat
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Adjective[edit]
tabby (comparative tabbier, superlative tabbiest)
- Having a wavy or watered appearance.
- a tabby waistcoat
- Brindled; diversified in color.
- a tabby cat
Translations[edit]
brindled
Verb[edit]
tabby (third-person singular simple present tabbies, present participle tabbying, simple past and past participle tabbied)
- (transitive) To give a wavy or watered appearance to (a textile).
Derived terms[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Categories:
- English terms derived from French
- English terms derived from Arabic
- English terms derived from Persian
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- Rhymes:English/æbi
- Rhymes:English/æbi/2 syllables
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English uncountable nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with archaic senses
- English adjectives
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs
- en:Cats
- en:Textiles
- en:Female people