tabby

views updated May 14 2018

tab·by / ˈtabē/ • n. (pl. -bies) 1. (also tab·by cat) a cat whose fur is mottled or streaked with dark stripes. ∎ inf. any domestic cat.2. a fabric with a watered pattern, typically silk.3. a plain weave.4. a type of concrete made of lime, shells, gravel, and stones that dries very hard.• adj. (of a cat) gray or brownish in color and streaked with dark stripes.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

tabby

views updated May 11 2018

tabby silk taffeta, orig. striped XVII; short for t. cat (XVII), cat having a striped coat XVIII; (colloq.) elderly maiden lady. — (O)F. tabis, †atabis — Arab. ′attābīi name of a quarter of Baghdad in which the stuff was manufactured.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

tabby

views updated Jun 27 2018

tabby. Gravel, lime, and crushed oyster- or mussel-shells mixed with water, forming a type of concrete.

A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture JAMES STEVENS CURL

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