SWAB

I. noun Etymology: probably from obsolete Dutch ~be; akin to Low German ~ber mop Date: 1653 1. mop , b. a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medication or for removing material from an area, a specimen taken with a ~, a sponge or cloth patch attached to a long handle and used to clean the bore of a firearm, 2. a useless or contemptible person, sailor , gob , II. transitive verb (~bed; ~bing) Etymology: back-formation from ~ber Date: 1719 to clean with or as if with a ~, to apply medication to with a ~