adobe
[uh-doh-bee]
- sun-dried brick made of clay and straw, in common use in countries having little rainfall.
- a yellow silt or clay, deposited by rivers, used to make bricks.
- a building constructed of adobe.
- a dark, heavy soil, containing clay.
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Origin of adobe
1750–60; Americanism; < Spanish < Arabic al-ṭub the brick < Coptic to:o:be brick < Egyptian Demotic tb < Egyptian Hieroglyphic ḏbt
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for adobe
Contemporary Examples
Bin Laden stood in an adobe walled bedroom, his back to the door.
Representatives for Adobe did not respond to requests to comment.
And how much are we supposed to trust a single company—Adobe—that has so much control over our creative class?
Adobe claims that their cloud apps will work offline as well.
Other non-design services, like Adobe Business Catalyst, which hosts email fundraising campaigns and e-commerce, also went down.
Historical Examples
Every day Schiefflin set forth on his mule from the adobe house.
When the West Was YoungFrederick R. Bechdolt
There were several men lounging about the adobe when he reached it.
When the West Was YoungFrederick R. Bechdolt
The adobe flashed out from the shadow and Roger slid down into the well.
The Forbidden TrailHonor Willsie
Dick suggested we save lumber by making the engine house of adobe.
The Forbidden TrailHonor Willsie
"If the adobe won't take too long, I like the idea," said Roger.
The Forbidden TrailHonor Willsie
adobe
- a sun-dried brick used for building
- (as modifier)an adobe house
- a building constructed of such bricks
- the clayey material from which such bricks are made
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Word Origin
C19: from Spanish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for adobe
n.
1739, American English, from Spanish adobe, from oral form of Arabic al-tob "the brick," from Coptic tube "brick," a word found in hieroglyphics.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper