What does "tabby" mean?
A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
Tabby
/ˈtæb.i/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
- Grammar: tabby is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: a tale-bearing animal, alley cat, banded, barred.
- Useful contrasts: monochrome, patterned, plain.
- Usage evidence: Fireball, an orange tabby cat, loves to terrorize all the cats in the neighborhood.
How to use "tabby"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tabby" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "tabby" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "tabby" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tabby" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "tabby" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "a tale-bearing animal" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "tabby", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering. countable, uncountable
""Ay, ay; she wore a flowered silk tabby sacque, on band days," said Toole, who had an eye and a corner in his memory for female costume, "a fine showy—I remember.""
- 2 female cat wordnet
- 3 A concrete 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. uncountable
- 4 a cat with a grey or tawny coat mottled with black wordnet
- 5 A brindled cat. countable
"A wise tabby, a blinking sphinx, watched from her warm sill. Pity to disturb them. Mohammed cut a piece out of his mantle not to wake her."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A woman, irrespective of age, but often used for a young, attractive woman. Australia, countable, slang, uncountable
"‘The kids go for a drive in a borrowed car, park on another street between the corner lamps, and then there’s ructions because some little tabby gets up the stick.’"
- 7 An old maid or gossip. archaic, countable
Verb
- 1 To give a wavy or watered appearance to (a textile). transitive
Adjective
- 1 Having a wavy or watered appearance.
"a tabby waistcoat"
- 2 Brindled; diversified in color.
"a tabby cat"
Adjective
- 1 having a grey or brown streak or a pattern or a patchy coloring; used especially of the patterned fur of cats wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A diminutive of the female given name Tabitha.
- 2 A diminutive of the female given name Tabetha.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Fireball, an orange tabby cat, loves to terrorize all the cats in the neighborhood."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "tabby"?
Common synonyms include: a tale-bearing animal, alley cat, banded, barred, blue cat, brinded.
How do you use "tabby" in a sentence?
Fireball, an orange tabby cat, loves to terrorize all the cats in the neighborhood.
How do you pronounce "tabby"?
Pronounced /ˈtæb.i/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Mid 17th century French tabis, from Arabic عَتَّابِيّ (ʕattābiyy), ultimately from Arabic الْعَتَّابِيَّة (al-ʕattābiyya), a quarter of Baghdad (named for a Prince عَتَّاب (ʕattāb)) 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.
Etymology 2
Diminutive + -y.