tab ‧ by /ˈtæbi/ BrE AmE noun ( plural tabbies ) [countable]
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Origin: tabby type of striped cloth (16-19 centuries) , from French tabis , from Medieval Latin attabi , from Arabic , from Al-'Attabiya part of Baghdad where the cloth was originally made ]
a cat with light and dark lines on its fur
—tabby adjective