tabby

views updated May 14 2018

tab·by / ˈtabē/ • n. (pl. -bies) 1. (also tab·by cat) a cat whose fur is mottled or streaked with dark stripes. ∎ inf. any domestic cat.2. a fabric with a watered pattern, typically silk.3. a plain weave.4. a type of concrete made of lime, shells, gravel, and stones that dries very hard.• adj. (of a cat) gray or brownish in color and streaked with dark stripes.

tabby

views updated May 11 2018

tabby silk taffeta, orig. striped XVII; short for t. cat (XVII), cat having a striped coat XVIII; (colloq.) elderly maiden lady. — (O)F. tabis, †atabis — Arab. ′attābīi name of a quarter of Baghdad in which the stuff was manufactured.

tabby

views updated Jun 27 2018

tabby. Gravel, lime, and crushed oyster- or mussel-shells mixed with water, forming a type of concrete.