I. ˈkäb transitive verb
( cobbed ; cobbed ; cobbing ; cobs )
Etymology: Middle English cobben to fight, give blows; akin to Icelandic kubba to chop, Norwegian kubbe log, Middle English cobbe big man, leader — more at cob III
1. : strike , thump : as
a. archaic : to beat on the buttocks (as with a flat stick)
b. dialect England : thresh
cob grain
2. dialect England : to toss effortlessly or carelessly
3. : to break (ore) into small pieces preliminary to sorting ; especially : to break off waste or low-grade material from (lumps of ore) with hand hammers
4. : surpass , excel , beat , outdo
II. noun
or cobb “
( -s )
: a blow or a beating especially upon the buttocks
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English cobbe; akin to Old Norse kobbi seal (the animal), Old English cot den, cottage — more at cot
1. now dialect England : an eminent person : leader , topman
2. : a male swan — compare pen V
3. dialect England : a lump or piece (as of coal or stone) or a rounded heap or mass: as
a. : cobnut
b. : a nut used in the game of cobnut or conker
c. cobs plural : testes
d. : a small stack of grain or hay
e. : a small loaf of bread
4. obsolete : the head of a herring
5.
a. : a piece of eight or a Spanish-American dollar — used in Ireland and the British colonies during the period when Spanish-American gold and silver coins were irregularly shaped and crudely struck
b. : any crude, irregularly shaped coin of early Spanish-American issue
a cob dollar
cob money
cob gold
6.
a. : corncob 1
b. chiefly Africa : an ear of Indian corn
7. : a short-legged stocky horse ; especially : one having an artificially high stylish action
8. Britain : the seed head of clover
9. : a string of crystals of sugar of milk usually cylindrical in shape — compare lactose
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: probably from cob (III) (lump)
Britain : a mixture that consists of unburned clay usually with straw as a binder and is used for constructing walls of small buildings
windows set in cob walls three foot thick — Clemence Dane
V. noun
or cobb “
( -s )
Etymology: probably from Dutch kobbe, kob sea gull, from Middle Dutch cobbe crested bird or animal; akin to Frisian kobbe sea gull and probably to Icelandic kobbi seal — more at cob III
: sea gull ; especially : great black-backed gull
VI. noun
or cobb “
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
dialect England : a wicker basket
VII. noun
( -s )
Etymology: modification of New Latin Kobus
: a waterbuck of the genus Kobus