tabby
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Related to tabbies: tabby cat
tab·by
(tăb′ē)n. pl. tab·bies
1. A rich watered silk.
2. A fabric of plain weave.
3.
a. A domestic cat with a coat that has stripes or swirls of darker fur on a lighter background.
b. A domestic cat, especially a female.
4. A spinster.
5. A prying woman; a gossip.
6. South Atlantic US A mixture of oyster shells, lime, sand, and water used as a building material.
adj.
1. Having light and dark striped or swirled markings: a Maine coon with a tabby pattern.
2. Made of or resembling watered silk.
[French tabis, from Old French atabis, from Medieval Latin attabī, from Arabic 'attābī, after al-'Attābīya, a suburb of Baghdad, Iraq.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
tabby
(ˈtæbɪ)n
(Textiles) a fabric with a watered pattern, esp silk or taffeta
[C17: from Old French tabis silk cloth, from Arabic al-`attabiya, literally: the quarter of (Prince) `Attab, the part of Baghdad where the fabric was first made]
tabby
(ˈtæbɪ)adj
1. (Animals) (esp of cats) brindled with dark stripes or wavy markings on a lighter background
2. having a wavy or striped pattern, particularly in colours of grey and brown
n, pl -bies
3. (Animals) a tabby cat
4. (Animals) any female domestic cat
5. informal Brit a gossiping old woman
6. slang Austral any girl or woman
[C17: from Tabby, pet form of the girl's name Tabitha, probably influenced by tabby1]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
tab•by
(ˈtæb i)n., pl. -bies, n.
1. a cat with a striped or brindled coat.
2. a domestic cat, esp. a female one.
3. a watered silk or taffeta.
adj. 4. striped or brindled.
5. made of or resembling tabby.
v.t. 6. to give a wavy or watered appearance to, as silk.
[1630–40; < French tabis (taken as pl.), Middle French (a)tabis silk cloth < Medieval Latin attābi < Arabic ‘yattābī, derivative of (al-)‘Attābīyah, quarter of Baghdad where the silk was first made, literally, the quarter of (Prince) ‘Attāb]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
tabby
- The common tabby cat derives its name from silk with a wavy pattern, from Arabic utabi, the name of the quarter in Baghdad where the silk was made.See also related terms for silk.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Noun | 1. | ![]() |
2. | tabby - female cat | |
Adj. | 1. | tabby - having a grey or brown streak or a pattern or a patchy coloring; used especially of the patterned fur of cats patterned - having patterns (especially colorful patterns) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
tabby
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
tabby
nounA person habitually engaged in idle talk about others:
blab, gossip, gossiper, gossipmonger, newsmonger, rumormonger, scandalmonger, talebearer, taleteller, tattle, tattler, tattletale, telltale, whisperer.
Slang: yenta.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Spanish / Español
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
tabby
(ˈtӕbi) – plural ˈtabbies – noun (also ˈtabby-cat) a usually grey or brown cat with darker stripes, especially a female one. gato atigrado
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.