DRAB


Meaning of DRAB in English

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

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.