nab

See also: NAB, nǟb, and na b'

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 nappe (“to pluck”).

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

Derived terms

• nabber
• kidnap

Translations

to seize a criminal

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

  Mandarin: 逮捕 (zh) (dàibǔ)

• Dutch: (slang) oppakken (nl)
• German: schnappen (de)

• Russian: хвата́ть (ru) impf (xvatátʹ), схвати́ть (ru) pf (sxvatítʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: ухапсити, uhapsiti (sh)
• Swedish: haffa (sv)

to grab or snatch

• Bulgarian: отмъквам (bg) (otmǎkvam)
• 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 an eminence.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Halliwell to this entry?)

2. The cock of a gunlock.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)

3. (locksmithing) The keeper, or box into which the lock is shot.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Knight to this entry?)

References

• “nab” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2021.

Anagrams

• ABN, BAN, BNA, Ban, NBA, ban

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Northern Kurdish

Adjective

nab

1. pure

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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

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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.