swab

¹swab

noun \ˈswäb\

: a small piece of soft material sometimes on the end of a small stick that is used for applying medicine, cleaning a wound, etc.

: a small amount of material taken with a swab as a sample from a person's body

Full Definition of SWAB

1

a :  mop; especially :  a yarn mop

b (1) :  a wad of absorbent material usually wound around one end of a small stick and used especially for applying medication or for removing material from an area (2) :  a specimen taken with a swab

c :  a sponge or cloth patch attached to a long handle and used to clean the bore of a firearm

2

a :  a useless or contemptible person

b :  sailor, gob

Examples of SWAB

1. Use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to disinfect the area.
2. The doctor took a throat swab and sent it to the lab.

Origin of SWAB

probably from obsolete Dutch swabbe; akin to Low German swabber mop

First Known Use: 1653

Related to SWAB

Synonyms

gob, hearty, jack, jack-tar, mariner, navigator, salt, sea dog, seafarer, seaman, shipman, sailor, swabbie (also swabby) [slang], tar

Related Words

coxswain, crewman, deckhand, shipmate; able-bodied seaman, able seaman, lubber; powerboater, sailboater; lime-juicer [slang], limey [slang]

Rhymes with SWAB

Ab, blob, bob, cob, daub, fob, glob, gob, hob, job, knob, lob, mob, nob, rob, slob, snob, sob, squab, stob, throb, yob

²swab

transitive verb

: to wipe or clean (something, such as a wound) with a swab

swabbedswab·bing

Full Definition of SWAB

1

:  to clean with or as if with a swab

2

:  to apply medication to with a swab <swabbed the wound with iodine>

Examples of SWAB

1. The nurse swabbed the cut with a disinfectant.

Origin of SWAB

back-formation from swabber

First Known Use: 1719