swab
nounverbattested in dialogue
- //swɒb//
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.
noun
- 1
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.
- 2
A sample taken with a swab (piece of absorbent material).
- 3
A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns.
- 4
A mop, especially on a ship.
- 5
slangA sailor; a swabby.
As for that swab, he's good and dead, he is.
- 6
slangA naval officer's epaulet.
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")
verb
- 1
To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab.
swab the deck of a ship
He had one hand on the bounce bottle—and he'd never let go of that since he got back to the table—but he had a handkerchief in the other and was swabbing his deadlights with it.
Forms
- plural
- swabs
- past tense
- swabbed
- past participle
- swabbed
- present participle
- swabbing
- third person singular
- swabs
swab · 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…
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