Definitions and meaning of dab
dab
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /dæb/
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- Rhymes: -æb
Etymology 1
From Middle English dabben (“to strike”), cognate with Middle Dutch dabben (“to pinch, knead, fumble, dabble”) (Dutch dabben (“(of a horse) to stamp with the forelegs”)), Dutch deppen (“to dab”), possibly German tappen (“to fumble, grope”).
The noun is from Middle English dabbe (“a strike, blow”), from the verb. Related to tap. Compare also drub, dub.
African-American sense of “playful box” perhaps influenced by dap (“fistbump”).
Verb
dab (third-person singular simple present dabs, present participle dabbing, simple past and past participle dabbed)
- (transitive) To press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing.
- (Can we date this quote by S. Sharp and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- A sore should […] be wiped […] only by dabbing it over with fine lint.
- (transitive) To apply a substance in this way.
- To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust.
- (Can we date this quote by Sir T. More and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- to dab him in the neck
- (slang) To apply hash oil to a heated surface for the purpose of efficient combustion.
- (dance, intransitive) To perform the dab dance move, by moving both arms to one side of the body parallel with your head.
- 2019, Stormzy, Vossi Bop
- Look, my brothas don't dab, we just vossi bop
Translations
Noun
dab (plural dabs)
- A soft tap or blow; a blow or peck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow.
- (African-American Vernacular) A soft, playful box given in greeting or approval.
- Coordinate terms: dap, fistbump, high five
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- page 197: I step closer to Profit and draw in a deep, steadying breath while the brothers exchange dabs. “What's up, fam? I see you finally made it.”
- A small amount, a blob of some soft or wet substance.
- Synonym: blob
- (slang) A small amount of hash oil.
- (chiefly in the plural, dated, Britain) Fingerprint.
- (dance) A hip hop dance move in which the dancer simultaneously drops the head while raising an arm, briefly resting their face in the elbow, as if sneezing into their elbow.
Related terms
Translations
Adverb
dab (not comparable)
- With a dab, or sudden contact.
Translations
See also
Etymology 2
Perhaps corrupted from adept.
Noun
dab (plural dabs)
- One skilful or proficient; an expert; an adept.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:skilled person
- (Can we date this quote by Goldsmith and provide title, author's full name, and other details?)
- One excels at a plan or the title page, another works away at the body of the book, and the third is a dab at an index.
Derived terms
Translations
Etymology 3
Origin unknown.
Noun
dab (plural dabs)
- A small flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, especially Limanda limanda; a flounder.
- (US) A sand dab, a small flatfish of genus Citharichthys.
Translations
Etymology 4
Back slang for bad.
Adjective
dab (comparative more dab, superlative most dab)
- (obsolete, costermongers) Bad.
- Synonym: trosseno
- Antonyms: doog, doogheno
Further reading
- dab on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- dab (dance) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Oxford English Dictionary (1989)
- dab at OneLook Dictionary Search
Anagrams
- ABD, ADB, Abd., BDA, D.B.A., DBA, abd., bad, d/b/a, dba
Dutch
Pronunciation
Noun
dab m (uncountable)
- (dance) The dab (hip-hop dance move).
White Hmong
Pronunciation
Noun
dab
- (evil) spirit, considered responsible for epileptic attacks among other things
Derived terms
References
- Ernest E. Heimbach, White Hmong - English Dictionary (1979, SEAP Publications)
Source: wiktionary.org- to touch lightly.
(source: Collins Scrabble Dictionary)