from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Tabby \Tab"by\ (t[a^]b"b[y^]), n.; pl. {Tabbies}
(t[a^]b"b[i^]z). [F. tabis (cf. It. tab[`i], Sp. & Pg.
tab['i], LL. attabi), fr. Ar. 'att[=a]b[imac], properly the
name of a quarter of Bagdad where it was made, the quarter
being named from the prince Attab, great grandson of Omeyya.
Cf. {Tobine}.]
1. A kind of waved silk, usually called {watered silk},
manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The
watering is given to it by calendering.
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2. A mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal
proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry,
this becomes as hard as rock. --Weale.
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3. A brindled cat; hence, popularly, any cat.
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4. An old maid or gossip. [Colloq.] --Byron.
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