Skip to the word

Added 9 October 2026

tabby

/ˈtæb.i/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tabby at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A cat with a grey or tawny coat mottled with black.
Female cat.

adjective

Having a grey or brown streak or a pattern or a patchy coloring; used especially of the patterned fur of cats.

Origin

Mid 17th century French tabis, from Arabic عَتَّابِيّ (ʕattābiyy), ultimately from Arabic الْعَتَّابِيَّة (al-ʕattābiyya), a quarter of Baghdad (named for a Prince عَتَّاب (ʕattāb)) which is associated with the manufacture of a certain type of waved silk. See also taffeta, another type of silk whose name derives from the Persian تافته (tâfta, “woven cloth”) and shares a similar etymological origin.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Back to today's word