Wordul · all words

noun · 2 syllables · /'tæb.i/

TABBY

What does "TABBY" mean?

A domestic cat with a striped, spotted, or swirled coat pattern.

Meanings

  1. A cat whose fur shows the characteristic stripes, swirls, or spots, usually with an 'M' marking on the forehead. A grey tabby dozed on the warm windowsill.
  2. A kind of striped or watered silk fabric. Her gown was cut from a fine tabby. archaic
  3. Having a brindled or striped pattern. The kittens all had the same tabby markings.

Did you know?

  • The word 'tabby' came from a striped silk made in the Attabiyya quarter of Baghdad - the cat's coat was named after the cloth, not the other way around.

Word origin

From French 'tabis', a striped silk, from Arabic 'al-'Attabiyya', a district of Baghdad where the cloth was made; the cat's stripes were later named after the fabric.

Remember it

TABBY has a doubled 'B', like two parallel stripes down the cat's back.

A little poem

An M on the brow-
Baghdad's old silk learned to purr
and sleep in the sun.

haiku

What it teaches

Even the cat on your lap carries a trade route in its name; ordinary things have far-traveled histories.

Quick facts

What does TABBY mean?

A domestic cat with a striped, spotted, or swirled coat pattern.

Is TABBY a valid word?

Yes — TABBY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.

How many letters is TABBY?

TABBY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.

Where does TABBY come from?

From French 'tabis', a striped silk, from Arabic 'al-'Attabiyya', a district of Baghdad where the cloth was made; the cat's stripes were later named after the fabric.

What can TABBY teach us?

Even the cat on your lap carries a trade route in its name; ordinary things have far-traveled histories.

How players do

Be the first to solve it.

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