swab

swab
/swob/, n., v., swabbed, swabbing.
n.
1. a large mop used on shipboard for cleaning decks, living quarters, etc.
2. a bit of sponge, cloth, cotton, or the like, sometimes fixed to a stick, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person or for applying medicaments, drying areas, etc.
3. the material collected with a swab as a specimen for microscopic study.
4. a brush or wad of absorbent material for cleaning the bore of a firearm.
5. Slang. a sailor; swabby.
6. Slang. a clumsy fellow.
v.t.
7. to clean with or as if with a swab: to swab the decks.
8. to take up or apply, as moisture, with or as if with a swab: to swab soapy water from the decks.
9. to pass over a surface: to swab a mop over the decks.
Also, swob.
[1645-55; back formation from SWABBER]

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Swab — (de swap, intercambio en inglés, pero con la b al final lleva a swab, que también en inglés es al algodón con el que recogen muestras de laboratorio, denotando la intencionalidad del certamen) es una feria de arte contemporáneo, joven y emergente …   Wikipedia Español

  • swab — swab·ber; swab·bers; swab·bie; swab; swab·by; …   English syllables

  • swab — [swäb′ēswäb] n. [contr. < SWABBER] 1. a yarn mop, usually used wet, for cleaning decks, floors, etc. 2. a) a small piece of cotton, cloth, sponge, etc. used to apply medicine to, or clean discharged matter from, the throat, mouth, etc. b)… …   English World dictionary

  • Swab — Swab, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Swabbed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Swabbing}.] [See {Swabber}, n.] To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after washing; as, to swab the desk of a ship. [Spelt also {swob}.] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • swab — ► NOUN 1) an absorbent pad used for cleaning wounds or applying medication. 2) a specimen of a bodily secretion taken with a swab. 3) a mop or other absorbent device for cleaning or mopping up. 4) archaic a contemptible person. ► VERB (swabbed,… …   English terms dictionary

  • Swab — Swab, n. [Written also swob.] 1. A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels, etc., esp. one made of rope yarns or threads. [1913 Webster] 2. A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like, fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of a sick …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • swab|by — or swab|bie «SWOB ee», noun, plural bies. U.S. Slang. a sailor of enlisted rank; gob …   Useful english dictionary

  • swab- — *swab , *swap germ.?, Verb: nhd. kehren ( Verb) (2), fegen; ne. sweep; Hinweis: s. *swōbala ; Etymologie: s. ing. *su̯ep (2), *sup , *su̯eb ?, Verb, werfen, schleudern, schütten …   Germanisches Wörterbuch

  • swab — A wad of cotton, gauze, or other absorbent material attached to the end of a stick or clamp, used for applying or removing a substance from a surface. * * * swab swäb n 1) a wad of absorbent material usu. wound around one end of a small stick and …   Medical dictionary

  • Swab. — 1. Swabia. 2. Swabian. * * * swab «swob», noun, verb, swabbed, swab|bing. –n. 1. a long handled mop for cleaning decks, floors, and the like. 2. a bit of sponge, cloth, or cotton for cleansing some part of the body or for applying medicine to it …   Useful english dictionary

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