swab en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- swŏb
- /swɒb/
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
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")
Meanings
- 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.
- A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material).
- A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns.
- A mop, especially on a ship.
-
(slang) A sailor; a swabby.
As for that swab, he's good and dead, he is.
1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 25, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:
- (slang) A naval officer's epaulet.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| swabs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
swab jockey · swabful · swab hitch · immunoswab · cotton swab · fire swab
Synonyms
swabby (sailor)
Translations (44)
tr sıyırma (A mop, especially on a ship) · it straccio (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · cy swabiad (A sample taken with a swab) · ga maipín (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · ca escovilló (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · bg матрос (A sailor) · la turunda (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · de Matrose (A sailor) · nl uitstrijkje (A sample taken with a swab) · it panno (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · mi kope (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · es hisopo (Arg., Mex., Ur. y Ven.) (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · hu törlőrongy (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · bg моп (A mop, especially on a ship) · fr écouvillon (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · es frotis (A sample taken with a swab) · pl wacik (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · cy swab (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · ga maipíneacht (A sample taken with a swab) · de Tupfer (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · de Wischmopp (A mop, especially on a ship) · de Läppchen (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · nl zwabber (A mop, especially on a ship) · fo tvørri (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · ca escovilló (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · nl poetsvod,doekje (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · de Tupfer (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · sv svabb (A mop, especially on a ship) · ru мазок (A sample taken with a swab) · de Abstrich (A sample taken with a swab) · sh tupfer (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · hu tengerész (A sailor) · nl watje, prop (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · nl koopvaardijmatroos (A sailor) · hu rongy (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns) · io swabro (A mop, especially on a ship) · bg тампон (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · tr sıyırma (A sample taken with a swab) · it tampone (a small piece of soft, absorbent material) · it tampone (A sample taken with a swab) · de Seemann (A sailor) · pt cotonete (A mop, especially on a ship) · mk брис (A sample taken with a swab) · ga ceirt (A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns)