dab – English noun declension

English noun forms of dab

Noun: dab
Singulardab
Pluraldabs

Sample Sentences

  • I promise you nothing,' said the dolls' dressmaker, dabbing two dabs at him with her needle, as if she put out both his eyes. [1865, Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend:]
  • “It was the most absurd kiss. I don't believe he'd ever kissed a woman in his life before. I threw my head back, and it was a sort of slidy, pecking dab, just on the end of the chin — here.” Mrs. Hauksbee tapped her masculine little chin with her fan. [1889, Rudyard Kipling, “The Education of Otis Yeere”, in Under the Deodars, Boston: The Greenock Press, published 1899, page 42:]
  • Then the minute feet made feeble dabs, or stabs, at the atmosphere; the tiny fists doubled themselves and wandered to and fro as if in search of the enemy. [1917, Robert Hichens, In the Wilderness:]
  • She gave a few more dabs to his buttocks. “There. By the time you've made love to me those weals will have dried up.” [2006, Greta X, Angela Pearson, Whipsdom, page 75:]
  • The men gave each other dabs and another bear hug. [2010, Adrianne Byrd, Body Heat, page 177:]
  • I step closer to Profit and draw in a deep, steadying breath while the brothers exchange dabs. “What's up, fam? I see you finally made it.” [2010, De'nesha Diamond, Hustlin' Divas, page 197:]
  • a dab of glue
  • One had Glash's dabs on it and a half-inch of Macallan at the bottom. [2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 132:]

Etymology

1. 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”).
2. The noun is from Middle English dabbe (“a strike, blow”), from the verb. Related to tap. Compare also drub, dub.
3. African-American sense of “playful box” perhaps influenced by dap (“fistbump”). See: Icelandic Nouns 'dabba', Middle English Nouns 'dabbe'.

Verbs referencing "dab"

Dutch Nouns dab, Irish Nouns daba.