swab

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: Swab

English

[edit]
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

[edit]

Mid 17th century (in the sense 'mop for cleaning the decks'): back-formation from Middle English swabber (sailor detailed to swab decks), from Middle Dutch zwabber, from a Germanic base meaning 'splash' or 'sway', also found as nautical German Schwabber and Volga German Schwabber ("scrubber, mop, swab")

Pronunciation

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

swab (plural swabs)

  1. (medicine) A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access.
  2. A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material).
  3. A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns.
  4. A mop, especially on a ship.
  5. (slang) A sailor; a swabby.
  6. (slang) A naval officer's epaulet.

Synonyms

[edit]

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

Verb

[edit]

swab (third-person singular simple present swabs, present participle swabbing, simple past and past participle swabbed)

  1. (transitive) To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab.
    swab the deck of a ship
    • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
      He had one hand on the bounce bottle—and he'd never let go of that since he got back to the table—but he had a handkerchief in the other and was swabbing his deadlights with it.

Derived terms

[edit]

Translations

[edit]

Anagrams

[edit]

Egyptian

[edit]

Romanization

[edit]

swab

  1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of swꜥb.