tabby

See also: Tabby

English

Etymology

Mid 17th century (deprecated template usage) [etyl] French tabis, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Arabic عَتَّابِيّ (ʕattābiyy), ultimately from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] 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 (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Persian تافته (tâfta, “woven cloth”) and shares a similar etymological origin.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtæb.i/
• Rhymes: -æbi

Noun

tabby (countable and uncountable, plural tabbies)

1. (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, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:

     '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.'

2. (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.
3. (countable) A brindled cat.
4. (countable, archaic) An old maid or gossip.

Synonyms

• (An old maid or gossip): See Thesaurus:old woman

Translations

cat

• Arabic: عَتَّابِي (ʕattābī)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 虎斑貓／虎斑猫, 虎斑猫 (hǔbānmāo), 斑貓／斑猫 (zh) (bānmāo), 斑猫 (zh) (bānmāo)

• French: chat tigré (fr) m, tabby (fr) m
• German: Tabby n
• Hungarian: cirmos (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: soriano
• Japanese: トラネコ (toraneko), 虎猫 (とらねこ, toraneko), トラ猫 (toraneko)
• Occitan: cat tigrat
• Portuguese: gato tigrado m
• Russian: полоса́тая ко́шка f (polosátaja kóška), полоса́тый кот m (polosátyj kot)
• Spanish: gato atigrado m

Adjective

tabby (not comparable)

1. Having a wavy or watered appearance

   a tabby waistcoat

2. Brindled; diversified in color

   a tabby cat.

Translations

brindled

• Arabic: عَتَّابِي (ʕattābī)
• French: moiré (fr), ondé (fr), tigré (fr)
• Italian: soriano
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Occitan: tigrat
• Portuguese: tigrado (pt)

Verb

tabby (third-person singular simple present tabbies, present participle tabbying, simple past and past participle tabbied)

1. (transitive) To give a wavy or watered appearance to (a textile).

Anagrams

• baby T