[tab.by] n, pl tabbies [F tabis, fr. ML attabi, fr. Ar 'attabi, fr. Al-'Attabiya, quarter in Baghdad] (1638) 1 a archaic: a plain silk taffeta esp. with moire finish b: a plain-woven fabric
2. [
[2]tabby] a: a domestic cat with a striped and mottled coat b: a domestic cat; esp: a female cat
[2]tabby adj (1661) 1: of, relating to, or made of tabby
2: striped and mottled with darker color: brindled "a ~ cat" [3]tabby n [Gullah tabi, ultim. fr. Sp tapia adobe wall] (1775): a cement made of lime, sand or gravel, and oyster shells and used chiefly along the coast of Georgia and So. Carolina in the 17th and 18th centuries