# tabby

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtæb.i/ · frequency rank #37,725

## Definitions
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. A woman, irrespective of age, but often used for a young, attractive woman.
5. An old maid or gossip.

## Etymology
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.

## Easily confused with
- **tay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tay)
- **toby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-toby)
- **table** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-table)
- **tasty** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tasty)
- **tally** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tally)
- **taboo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-taboo)
- **tammy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tammy)
- **tacky** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tacky)
- **tabor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tabor)
- **tawny** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tawny)
- **taffy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-taffy)
- **tardy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tardy)
- **tubby** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tubby)
- **tangy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tabby-vs-tangy)
- **tab** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tab-vs-tabby)

## Common misspellings (6)
`atbby`, `tabbyy`, `taby`, `tabyb`, `tbaby`, `ttabby`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tabby