swab
nomverbeattesté dans les dialogues
- //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.
nom
- 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
argotA sailor; a swabby.
As for that swab, he's good and dead, he is.
- 6
argotA naval officer's epaulet.
Étymologie
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")
verbe
- 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.
Formes
- pluriel
- swabs
- passé
- swabbed
- participe passé
- swabbed
- participe présent
- swabbing
- 3ᵉ personne du singulier
- 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…
Swab · A surname.swagger · To behave (especially to walk or carry oneself) in a pompous,…swain · A rural lover; a male sweetheart in a pastoral setting.