nab

See also: NAB, nǟb, na b', nab-, -nab, and -nab-

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /næb/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æb

Etymology 1

From dialectal nap (“to seize, lay hold of”), probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Swedish nappa (“to pluck, pinch”).

Related to Danish nappe (“to tweak, snatch at, catch, seize”), Swedish nappa (“to take, grab, pinch”), Norwegian Bokmål nappe (“to grab, snatch, pluck, yank”).

Alternative forms

• knab

Verb

nab (third-person singular simple present nabs, present participle nabbing, simple past and past participle nabbed)

1. (informal, transitive) To seize, arrest or take into custody (a criminal or fugitive).
   • 1887, Anna Katharine Green, 7 to 12, A Detective Story, G. P. Putnam's Sons, page 2:

     As I was going out of the door, a fellow detective came hurriedly in. "Nabbed them," cried he.

   • 2019 July 3, Mike D'Angelo, “Oscar Isaac and Ben Affleck blunder through a heavy heist in J.C. Chandor’s Triple Frontier”, in AV Club‎^[1]:

     Their target: a drug kingpin who reportedly keeps millions of dollars in his fortress of a compound. Pope has been working for years to nab this baddie, and sincerely wants to stop his reign of terror,)

2. (informal, transitive) To grab or snatch something.

Synonyms

• (arrest a criminal or fugitive): nick, bust, cop

Derived terms

• hab or nab
• kidnap
• nabber
• nab the rust

 

Translations

to seize a criminal

• Bulgarian: залавям (bg) (zalavjam), арестувам (bg) (arestuvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 逮捕 (zh) (dàibǔ)

• Czech: sbalit pf, sebrat (cs) pf, čapnout pf
• Dutch: (slang) oppakken (nl)
• German: schnappen (de)
• Russian: хвата́ть (ru) impf (xvatátʹ), схвати́ть (ru) pf (sxvatítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: ухапсити, uhapsiti (sh)
• Swedish: haffa (sv)
• Ukrainian: схо́плювати impf (sxópljuvaty), схопи́ти pf (sxopýty)

to grab or snatch

• Bulgarian: отмъквам (bg) (otmǎkvam)
• Czech: lapnout pf
• French: choper (fr) (Europe), pogner (fr) (Canada)
• German: schnappen (de)
• Russian: хвата́ть (ru) impf (xvatátʹ), схвати́ть (ru) pf (sxvatítʹ)

Etymology 2

Compare knap, knop, knob.

Noun

nab (plural nabs)

1. The summit of a hill.
   • 1828, George Young, A Geological Survey of the Yorkshire Coast:

     At Clayton point and other nabs to the south of Scarborough.

2. The cock of a gunlock.
   • 1677–1683, Joseph Moxon, “(please specify the page)”, in Mechanick Exercises, or The Doctrine of Handy-Works, […], volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] Joseph Moxon, published 1678–1683, →OCLC:

     The Toe, or Nab of the Bolt, which rises […] above the Straight on the Top of the Bolt: The Office of this Nab, is to receive the Bottom of the Bit of the Key, when in turning it about, it shoots the Bolt backward or forwards.

3. (locksmithing) The keeper, or box into which the lock is shot.
   • 1703, Joseph Moxon, Mechanick Exercises:

     the Bottom of the Bit may fall almost to the Bottom of the Nab , and shoot the Bolt back

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “nab”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• ABN, BAN, BNA, Ban, NBA, ban

Northern Kurdish

Adjective

nab

1. pure

Southeastern Tepehuan

Etymology

Cognate with Northern Tepehuan návoi, O'odham nav, Central Tarahumara napó, Mayo naabo, Hopi naavu.

Noun

nab

1. prickly pear cactus (clarification of this definition is needed)

Derived terms

• nab junmaꞌn

References

• R. de Willett, Elizabeth, et al. (2016) Diccionario tepehuano de Santa María Ocotán, Durango (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 48)‎^[2] (in Spanish), electronic edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 132

White Hmong

Etymology

From Proto-Hmong-Mien *ʔnaŋ (“snake”). Cognate with Iu Mien naang.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /na˥/

Noun

nab

1. snake.
2. worm.

Derived terms

• cua nab (“earthworm”)
• ntses nab (“eel”)
• nab qa (“lizard”)

References

• Heimbach, Ernest E. (1979) White Hmong — English Dictionary‎^[3], SEAP Publications, →ISBN.