I. ˈdrab, -aa(ə)b noun
( -s )
Etymology: perhaps of Celtic origin; akin to Scottish Gaelic drabag dirty woman, Irish Gaelic drabog slattern, slut, from & akin to Irish Gaelic drab spot, stain, dirt, from Middle Irish, grape husks, dregs — more at draff
1. : a slatternly woman
2. : prostitute , harlot
II. intransitive verb
( drabbed ; drabbed ; drabbing ; drabs )
: to associate with strumpets : wench
a waster, an idler; drinking and drabbing — Aldous Huxley
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle French drap cloth, from Late Latin drappus, probably of Celtic origin; akin to Celtic personal names Drappō, Drappus; akin to Greek drepein to pluck, Sanskrit drāpi mantle, garment, Old English teran to tear — more at tear
1. : any of various cloths of a dull brown or gray color
the carpet was an ancient drab — Ethel Wilson
especially : a thick woolen coating or a heavy cotton
2.
[ drab (IV) ]
a. : a light olive brown that is slightly less strong than sponge, less strong and slightly redder than average mustard tan, and darker than the color dust — called also mode beige, rustic drab, sand dune
b. : a dull, lifeless, or faded hue or appearance
the silks with which the figures are embroidered have mostly faded to a general drab , but it is still possible to make out some red and green — O. Elfrida Saunders
3. : the quality or state of being drab : dullness
for this slight relief from the intolerable drab of his life story one may be grateful — V.L.Parrington
IV. adjective
( drabber ; drabbest )
1.
a. : of the dull brown color of drab cloth
b. : of the color drab
2. : characterized by dullness and monotony : colorless , cheerless
a drab pile of masonry
a usually drab and lifeless subject — R.T.Hoober
the writer's drab vision of life
• drab·ly adverb
• drab·ness noun -es
V. transitive verb
( drabbed ; drabbed ; drabbing ; drabs )
Etymology: drab (IV)
: to dull or tone down (color)
VI. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
: a wooden box used in saltworks for holding the salt taken out of the pans used in boiling