swab

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")

Pronunciation

• enPR: swŏb, IPA^(key): /swɒb/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒb

Noun

swab (plural swabs)

1. (medicine) 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. (slang) A sailor; a swabby.
   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, chapter 25, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     As for that swab, he's good and dead, he is.

6. (slang) A naval officer's epaulet.

Verb

swab (third-person singular simple present swabs, present participle swabbing, simple past and past participle swabbed)

1. (transitive) To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab.

   swab the deck of a ship

   • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y., London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:

     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.

Anagrams

• AWBs, wabs

Romanization

swab

1. Manuel de Codage transliteration of swꜥb.