Dictionary

adobe en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /əˈdoʊ.bi/ (US)
• /əˈdəʊ.bi/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Etymology tree Egyptian ḏbt Demotic Egyptian tb Coptic ⲧⲱⲃⲉ (tōbe)der. Arabic طُوبَة (ṭūba) Andalusian Arabic طُوبَة Andalusian Arabic طُوبder. Spanish adobebor. English adobe From Spanish adobe, from Arabic اَلطُّوب (aṭ-ṭūb), from Sahidic Coptic ⲧⲱⲃⲉ (tōbe, “brick”), from Demotic Egyptian ⁠⁠ (tb, “brick”), from Egyptian Db-b-t:O39 (ḏbt, “brick, block, ingot”).

Meanings

1. (uncountable, usually) An unburnt brick dried in the sun.
   • The Jawas mutter gibberish as they busily line up their battered captives, including Artoo and Threepio, in front of the enormous Sandcrawler, which is parked beside a small homestead consisting of three large holes in the ground surrounded by several tall moisture vaporators and one small adobe block house. 1977, George Lucas, Star Wars (script)
   • Stone sidewalks, little more than a ledge in width, ran along the base of the mean and monotonous adobe houses. 1904 November, O. Henry [pseudonym; William Sydney Porter], Cabbages and Kings, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., page 24:
   • Many people in Texas and New Mexico live in adobe houses.
   • “Find me a nice, clean adobe wall,” says he, “and send Senor Rompiro up against it.” 1903, O’Henry, Roads of Destiny:
   • 26 May 2003, Roger Angell, in The New Yorker, The Sangre de Cristos came into view and the first soft-cornered adobe houses, and that night we ate at La Fonda with my Aunt Elsie, who worked for the Indian Bureau, and had Hopi snake dances and San Ildefonso pottery-makers and Mabel Dodge Luhan in store for us in the coming weeks.
2. (uncountable, usually) The earth from which such bricks are made.
3. (uncountable, usually) A house made of adobe brick.
   • The snow-dusted mesas and million-dollar adobes look enchanting as ever[…]. 2007 March 11, Ralph Blumenthal, “Prosecutor’s Ouster Shifts Political Order”, in New York Times:

Forms

Deriveds

superadobe · adobelike · adobe lily · adobe bread

Synonyms

mudbrick · dobe

Translations (61)

el πλιθί (unburnt brick) · pdt Adobe (unburnt brick) · el πλίνθος (unburnt brick) · et savitellis (unburnt brick) · arz طوبة (unburnt brick) · cmn 砖坯 (unburnt brick) · de Adobe (unburnt brick) · nv bis (unburnt brick) · fr argile (the earth from which such bricks are made) · pt adobe (unburnt brick) · hy ալիզ (unburnt brick) · ca tova (unburnt brick) · ro văiugă (unburnt brick) · bg гли́на (the earth from which such bricks are made) · mk ќерпич (unburnt brick) · ar طُوب (unburnt brick) · az yandırılmamış kərpic (unburnt brick) · eo adobo (unburnt brick) · hu vályogtégla (unburnt brick) · sv lersten (unburnt brick) · fi tiilisavi (the earth from which such bricks are made) · twf ną̀xùʼúna (unburnt brick) · ga adóib (unburnt brick) · twf adùbiʼíne (unburnt brick) · cmn 泥砖 (unburnt brick) · ar لَبِنَة (unburnt brick) · vi gạch sống (unburnt brick) · bg кирпи́чена къ́ща (a house made of adobe brick) · pl glinobitka (unburnt brick) · az palçıq kərpic (unburnt brick) · fi savitiili (unburnt brick) · fa خشت (unburnt brick) · apw goshtłʼish bee kįh (a house made of adobe brick) · es adobe (unburnt brick) · tr kerpiç (unburnt brick) · es casa de adobe (a house made of adobe brick) · ko 어도비 (unburnt brick) · ru сама́н (unburnt brick) · hy անթուրծ աղյուս (unburnt brick) · mk плитар (unburnt brick) · cmn 土砖房 (a house made of adobe brick) · hu vályog (unburnt brick) · arz طوب (unburnt brick) · zai basoo (unburnt brick) · bg кирпи́ч (unburnt brick) · ar لَبِن (unburnt brick) · fr maison en adobes (a house made of adobe brick) · fi savitiilitalo (a house made of adobe brick) · de Lehmziegel (unburnt brick) · nog саман (unburnt brick) · cs vepřovice (unburnt brick) · ro chirpici (unburnt brick) · ota لبن (unburnt brick) · ota كرپیچ (unburnt brick) · ja アドベ (unburnt brick) · qu tika (unburnt brick) · fr adobe (unburnt brick) · nl steenklei (unburnt brick) · gl adobe (unburnt brick) · nl adobe (unburnt brick) · cmn 土坯 (unburnt brick)