I. ˈtabē, -bi noun
( -es )
Etymology: French tabis, from Middle French atabis, from Medieval Latin attabi, from Arabic 'attābī, from Al-' Attābīya, quarter in Baghdad where it was originally made
1.
a. archaic
(1) : a plain silk taffeta especially with a moiré finish
(2) : a dress of this fabric
b.
(1) : plain weave
tabby is used for more purposes than any other weave — Harriette Brown
(2) : a fabric in plain weave
2.
[ tabby (II) ]
a. : a domestic cat having a gray or tawny coat striped and mottled with black and with the individual hairs variously banded and barred
b. : a domestic cat ; especially : a female cat
tabbies and toms
3.
a. : a prying woman : busybody , gossip
some old tabbies would begin asking questions — Helen Eustis
b. chiefly Britain : spinster 3
[s]tabby.jpg[/s] [
tabby 2a
]
II. adjective
1.
a. : made of tabby
a tabby waistcoat
b. : of or relating to tabby
tabby weave
2.
a. : striped and mottled with black or with another color darker than the ground color : brindled
a tabby cat
white with a tabby saddle on his back — Ngaio Marsh
— compare mackerel
b. : domestic
turn a tabby cat into a tiger — Newsweek
III. noun
( -es )
Etymology: Gullah ' tabi, of African origin; akin to Wolof tabax wall of a house made of sand, lime, or mud, Hausa ta'bo mud, Kongo ntaba muddy place
: 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 — compare tabia , tapia