Link Centre Dictionary

dab

UK/dæb/ US/ˈdæb/ uncommon dated obsolete slang uk us
verb (2) noun (2)

verb

1.

apply (usually a liquid) to a surface

  • “dab the wall with paint”
Synonyms
2.

hit lightly

  • “pat him on the shoulder”
Synonyms

noun

1.

a light touch or stroke

Synonyms
2.

a small quantity of something moist or soft

  • “a dab of paint”
  • “a splatter of mud”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English dabben (“to strike”), probably of North Germanic origin, related to Old Icelandic dabba (“to tap, slap”), perhaps ultimately imitative. Compare also 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”).

Phrases

  • dab out
  • dab pen
  • dab up
  • poor dab

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.