tabby

1 of 3

noun (1)

tab·by ˈta-bē

plural tabbies

Synonyms of tabby next

[tabby entry 2]

: a domestic cat with a striped and mottled coat

: a domestic cat

especially : a female cat

: a plain-woven fabric

archaic : a plain silk taffeta especially with moiré finish

tabby

2 of 3

adjective

: striped and mottled with darker color : brindled

a tabby cat

: of, relating to, or made of tabby

a tabby vest

tabby

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a cement made of lime, sand or gravel, and oyster shells and used chiefly along the coast of Georgia and South Carolina in the 17th and 18th centuries

Examples of tabby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Noun

In another room, a 14-year-old tabby cat named Milo, dropped off by his owner on Jan. 7, poked his paw through his crate, wanting pets from Gaby Solingen, a volunteer. —

Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025 Nashville Tennessean When her grey tabby died after 24 years, well, that was the final straw. —

Brad Schmitt, The Tennessean, 23 Dec. 2024

Adjective

His tabby brother sits almost on top of him protectively, staring up at the camera, before lying beside him and reaching an arm across the recovering black kitten. —

Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024 The tabby mixed cat is feeling fishy and pondering her next aquatic catch as a scary shark this Halloween. —

Gabriele Regalbuto, Fox News, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tabby

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French tabis, from Middle French atabis, from Medieval Latin attabi, from Arabic ʽattābī, from Al-ʽAttābīya, quarter in Baghdad

Noun (2)

Gullah tabi, ultimately from Spanish tapia adobe wall

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1638, in the meaning defined at sense 2b

Adjective

1640, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

1775, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of tabby was in 1638

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Tabby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tabby. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.

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Kids Definition

tabby

noun

tab·by

ˈtab-ē

plural tabbies

: a domestic cat with a striped and spotted coat

: a female cat

Etymology

Noun

from French tabis "a silk fabric with a lustrous wavy finish," from Latin attabi (same meaning), from Arabic 'attābī (same meaning), from Al-'Attābīya, name of a part of Baghdad where the cloth was made

Word Origin

A silk cloth with a striped or wavy pattern was once made in a section of the ancient city of Baghdad in what is now Iraq. The Arabic name for the cloth was 'attābī, from Al-'Attābīya, the name of the part of the city where it was made. Through Latin, the French borrowed this word for the cloth, calling it tabis. This word in turn became tabby in English. People saw a resemblance between the striped or wavy pattern of the silk and cats that had striped or spotted markings on their fur. Thus these cats came to be called tabby cats after the cloth.

Last Updated: 25 Jan 2025 - Updated example sentences

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tabby

noun (1)

Illustration of tabby

adjective

noun (2)

Examples of tabby in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near tabby

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition