Meaning and Origin
What does the name Tabby mean? Keep reading to find the user submitted meanings, dictionary definitions, and more.
Origin and Meaning of Tabby
User Submitted Origins
English
82%
Hebrew
18%
User Submitted Meanings
- A submission from Oklahoma, U.S. says the name Tabby means "gazelle".
- A user from Syrian Arab Republic says the name Tabby is of English origin and means "Striped cat".
- A submission from West Virginia, U.S. says the name Tabby means "Gift from God" and is of English origin.
- A submission from the United Kingdom says the name Tabby means "Gazzel" and is of English origin.
- A user from the United Kingdom says the name Tabby is of English origin and means "Waved silk".
International Interest
Also see international interest
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
noun Tab"by
Senses
- A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
- A mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry, this becomes as hard as rock.
- A brindled cat; hence, popularly, any cat.
- An old maid or gossip.(Colloq)
Etymology: F. tabiscf. It. tabì, Sp. & Pg. tabí, LL. attabi), fr. Ar. 'attābī, properly the name of a quarter of Bagdad where it was made, the quarter being named from the prince Attab, great grandson of Omeyya. Cf. Tobine
adjective Tab"by
Senses
- Having a wavy or watered appearance; as, a tabby waistcoat.
- Brindled; diversified in color; as, a tabby cat.
verb Tab"by
To water; to cause to look wavy, by the process of calendering; to calender; as, to tabby silk, mohair, ribbon, etc.
Other Dictionary Sources
- Female cat
- A cat with a grey or tawny coat mottled with black
- Having a grey or brown streak or a pattern or a patchy coloring; used especially of the patterned fur of cats
Wiktionary
Mid 17th century French atabis, from Arabic عَتَّابِيّ (ʿattābiyy), ultimately from Arabic الْعَتَّابِيَّة (al-ʿattābiyya), a quarter of Baghdad (named for a Prince عَتَّاب (ʿattāb)) which is associated with the manufacture of a certain type of waved silk. See also taffeta, another type of silk whose name derives from the Persian تافته (tâfta, “woven cloth”) and shares a similar etymological origin.
- (uncountable) A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
- (uncountable) A mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry, this becomes as hard as rock.
- (countable) A brindled cat.
- (countable, archaic) An old maid or gossip.