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tabby

tabby

3.2
Having a coat marked with dark stripes or spots, especially for cats
  • adjective
  • /ˈtæbi/
translation icon : atigrado
  • OK, so I'm thinking my brown Coach tabby bag with this and my little Valentino mules.

They're wearing some sort of light tabby sock like this, or they're wearing sheer socks.

Examples

  • Now the Coach tabby shoulder bag has become a little bit of a trend and I feel ever so slightly vindicated as I often do.

  • And right here we have at Le Panda tabby trying to adult.

  • She plays in a brass band and shares her house with two tabby boy cats.

    Blog text (8)
  • And I'm pulling outward with these little strokes to get the tabby lines.

  • They're wearing some sort of light tabby sock like this, or they're wearing sheer socks.

  • EVEN TABBY LIKES YOU.

  • The tabby cat curled up on the windowsill, basking in the warm sunlight.

  • I adopted a beautiful tabby kitten with a striking pattern of stripes.

  • Her tabby fur was soft and warm, making her the perfect lap cat.

Synonyms

brindle
vstabby
1 7.3

Having dark lines or patches on lighter fur like many dogs and cats

refers more specifically to grey or brown markings typically on cats
brindled
vstabby
7.5

Having fur with brown and grey streaks, often on cats or dogs

is used mainly for cats rather than all kinds of animals
brinded
vstabby
  • Archaic
9.9

Having fur with grey or brown streaks and patches

is used especially of cats rather than broadly for animals

Compounds

1 1.0

A domestic cat with striped or spotted fur often with an M mark on the forehead

Surface Forms

tabby positive

Etymology

Tabby originally meant a kind of cloth with a striped, 'watered' pattern (from Arabic attabiya), and people noticed the same pattern on some cats. That's why tabby is used as an adjective to describe a cat's striped or spotted coat.