gib 1
/gib/ , n. , v. , gibbed, gibbing .
n.
1. a hooked prolongation that develops during the spawning season on the lower jaw of a male salmon or trout.
2. Mach.
a. a thin, wedgelike strip of metal for controlling the area in which a moving part, as the table of a milling machine, slides.
b. a keylike part having a head at each end, used with a matching cotter as a fastening. See diag. under exploded view .
3. (in carpentry or ironwork) a heavy metal strap for fastening two members together.
v.t.
4. to fasten (parts) together by means of a gib.
[ 1555-65; orig. uncert. ]
gib 2
/gib/ , n.
1. a cat, esp. a male cat.
2. a castrated cat.
[ 1350-1400; ME gib ( be ), short for Gilbert proper name ]