dab

views updated May 29 2018

dab¹ / dab/ • v. (dabbed , dab·bing ) [tr.] 1. press against (something) lightly with absorbent material in order to clean or dry it: he dabbed his mouth with his napkin | [intr.] she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. ∎ apply (a substance) with light quick strokes. 2. aim at or strike with a light blow.• n. a small amount of something: she licked a dab of chocolate from her finger. ∎ a brief application of cosmetic, paint, or the like to a surface: apply concealer with light dabs. dab² • n. a small flatfish (Limanda and other genera, family Pleuronectidae, and genus Citharichthys, family Bothidae), found chiefly in the North Atlantic.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

dab

views updated May 14 2018

dab 1 (dial.) strike with a sharp blow XIV; strike with soft pressure XVI. Rare before XVI, when there may have been a fresh formation, but perh. in continuous use from early times; of imit. orig., but cf. DABBLE.

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

DAB

views updated May 18 2018

DAB daily audience barometer
• Deutsches Apothekerbuch (German Pharmacopoeia)
• (ital.) Dictionary of American Biography
• digital audio broadcasting

The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH