tabby

¹tab·by

noun \ˈta-bē\

plural tabbies

Definition of TABBY

1

a archaic : a plain silk taffeta especially with moiré finish

b : a plain-woven fabric

2

[²tabby]

a : a domestic cat with a striped and mottled coat

b : a domestic cat; especially : a female cat

Illustration of TABBY

Origin of TABBY

French tabis, from Middle French atabis, from Medieval Latin attabi, from Arabic ʽattābī, from Al-ʽAttābīya, quarter in Baghdad

First Known Use: 1638

Rhymes with TABBY

abbey, blabby, cabbie, crabby, flabby, gabby, grabby, scabby, shabby, yabby

²tabby

adjective

Definition of TABBY

1

: of, relating to, or made of tabby <a tabby vest>

2

: striped and mottled with darker color : brindled <a tabby cat>

First Known Use of TABBY

1640

³tabby

noun

Definition of TABBY

: a cement made of lime, sand or gravel, and oyster shells and used chiefly along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina in the 17th and 18th centuries

Origin of TABBY

Gullah tabi, ultimately from Spanish tapia adobe wall

First Known Use: 1775