Drab in Scrabble Dictionary

Valid words made from Drab

You can make 16 words from 'drab' in our Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

• 4 letters words from 'drab'
• 3 letters words from 'drab'
• 2 letters words from 'drab'

4 letters words from 'drab'

BARD 7	BRAD 7
DARB 7	DRAB 7

3 letters words from 'drab'

ARB 5	ARD 4
BAD 6	BAR 5
BRA 5	DAB 6
RAD 4

2 letters words from 'drab'

AB 4	AD 3
AR 2	BA 4
DA 3

Definitions and meaning of drab

drab

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /dɹæb/
• Rhymes: -æb

Etymology 1

Probably from Middle French and Old French drap (“cloth”), either:

• from Late Latin drappus (“drabcloth, kerchief; piece of cloth”), most likely from Gaulish *drappo, from Proto-Indo-European *drep- (“to scratch, tear”); or
• from Frankish *drapi, *drāpi (“that which is fulled, drabcloth”), from Proto-Germanic *drap-, *drēp- (“something beaten”), from *drepaną (“to beat, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrebʰ- (“to beat, crush; to make or become thick”).

The English word is cognate with Ancient Greek δρέπω (drépō, “to pluck”), Avestan 𐬛𐬭𐬀𐬟𐬱𐬀‎ (drafša, “banner, flag”), Lithuanian drãpanos (“household linens”), Old Norse trefja (“to rub, wear out”), trof (“fringes”), Sanskrit द्रापि (drāpi, “mantle, gown”), Serbo-Croatian drápati (“to scratch, scrape”)).

Noun

drab (countable and uncountable, plural drabs) (also attributively)

1. A fabric, usually of thick cotton or wool, having a dull brownish yellow, dull grey, or dun colour.

   Synonym: drabcloth
2. The colour of this fabric.
3. Often in the plural form drabs: apparel, especially trousers, made from this fabric.
4. (by extension) A dull or uninteresting appearance or situation, unremarkable.

Translations

See also

• Appendix:Colors

Adjective

drab (comparative drabber, superlative drabbest)

1. Of the colour of some types of drabcloth: dull brownish yellow or dun.
2. (by extension) Particularly of colour: dull, uninteresting.

Derived terms

• drably
• drabness

Translations

Etymology 2

The origin of the noun is uncertain; compare Middle English drabelen, drablen, draplen (“to soil; make dirty; to drag on the ground or through mud”), and Low German drabbe (“dirt, mud”), drabbeln (“to soil”), and Old Norse drabba (“to make drab; make dirty”), the latter three ultimately from Proto-Germanic *drepaną (“to hit, strike”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰreb- (“to crush, grind; to kill”). The word is also likely to be related to Dutch drab (“dregs, sediment”), Irish drabog, Scottish Gaelic drabag (“dirty woman; slattern”).

The verb is derived from the noun.

Noun

drab (plural drabs)

1. (dated) A dirty or untidy woman; a slattern.
2. (dated) A promiscuous woman, a slut; a prostitute.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:promiscuous woman, Thesaurus:prostitute

Translations

Verb

drab (third-person singular simple present drabs, present participle drabbing, simple past and past participle drabbed)

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To consort with prostitutes; to whore.

Derived terms

• drabber
• drabbing (noun)

Etymology 3

Probably related to drop (“small mass of liquid”).

Noun

drab (plural drabs)

1. A small amount, especially of money.

Derived terms

• dribs and drabs

Etymology 4

Origin unknown.

Noun

drab (plural drabs)

1. A box used in a saltworks for holding the salt when taken out of the boiling pans.

Translations

Etymology 5

Alteration of drag, possibly via the folk-etymological backronym "DRessed As a Girl" (with boy replacing girl).

Noun

drab (uncountable)

1. (LGBT, slang) An instance of a transgender or non-binary person presenting as the gender corresponding to their sex assigned at birth instead of that corresponding to their internal gender identity (for instance, a trans woman dressed as a man).

Usage notes

In this sense, drab usually (though not always) refers to a trans woman presenting as a man.

References

Further reading

• drab (color) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• drab (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Bard, Brad, bard, brad, darb

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Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse dráp (“killing”), from Old Norse drepa (“to hit; to kill”), from Proto-Germanic *drepaną, from Proto-Indo-European *dhrebh-. Compare Icelandic dráp, Swedish dråp

Pronunciation

Noun

drab n (singular definite drabet, plural indefinite drab)

1. (crime) homicide

Declension

Related terms

• mord
• manddrab

References

• “drab” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “drab” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

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Dutch

Etymology

Uncertain, but probably related to Dutch draf (“dregs”) (from Proto-Germanic *drabaz). Compare Low German drabbe (“silt”).

First attested as Dutch drabbe (“sediment”) in 1599.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /drɑp/
• Hyphenation: drab
• Rhymes: -ɑp

Noun

drab f or n (uncountable, diminutive drabje n)

1. sediment, dregs
2. goop, filth, mucus

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Old Polish

Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *drabь.

Noun

drab f

1. ladder

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Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Czech dráb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /drap/

Noun

drab m pers

1. (colloquial, derogatory) large, imposing man

Declension

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Romani

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

drab m

1. medicine

Descendants

• → Russian: драп (drap, “marijuana”)

Source: wiktionary.org

• dull and monotonous.
  (source: Collins Scrabble Dictionary)