tabby
/ˈtæb.i/noun, adjective, verb
tabby is spelled T-A-B-B-Y: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data, counting Tabby, the name). As a noun, tabby means “A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tabby is tabbies.
How many letters and syllables are in tabby?
| Letters | 5: T-A-B-B-Y |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is tabby?
Tabby appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form in the list. The list counts every capitalisation together, so this includes Tabby, the name.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tabby?
- /ˈtæb.i/
Tabby has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tabby.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of tabby
- tabbies plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- tabbier comparative
- tabbiest superlative
- tabbying participle, present
- tabbied participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tabby mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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.
- 2
A concrete 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.
- 3
A brindled cat.
- 4
AustraliaslangA woman, irrespective of age, but often used for a young, attractive woman.
- 5
archaicAn old maid or gossip.
adjective
- 1
Having a wavy or watered appearance.
a tabby waistcoat
- 2
Brindled; diversified in color.
a tabby cat
verb
- 1
To give a wavy or watered appearance to (a textile).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tabby in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | chat tigré, tabby , moiré, ondé, tigré |
| German | Tabby |
| Portuguese | gato tigrado , tigrado |
| Spanish | gato atigrado, gato romano, mish barcino , atigrado, barcino |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tabby come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).