dabber

American  

[dab-er] / ˈdæb ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that dabs.

2. a cushionlike article used for applying ink, as by printers and engravers.

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dabber British  

/ ˈdæbə /

noun

1. a pad used by printers for applying ink by hand

2. a felt-tip pen with a very broad writing point, used especially by bingo players to cancel numbers on their cards

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Etymology

Origin of dabber

First recorded in 1780–90; dab ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

She keeps a second pink ink dabber standing by just in case the one she is using to mark the spaces on her bingo sheet runs out.

From Washington Times • Jan. 11, 2015

In that case the ground is spread on the margin of the plate, if that be wide enough, or on a separate plate, and is taken up by the dabber.

From A Treatise on Etching by Lalanne, Maxime

Another form is called the pelote, which is merely a ball of scraped lint tied up in a piece of linen rag, commonly called a dabber.

From Enquire Within Upon Everything The Great Victorian Domestic Standby by Anonymous

These surfaces rapidly absorb the polish, while the oil in the dabber allows it to pass over without clinging.

From The Repairing & Restoration of Violins 'The Strad' Library, No. XII. by Petherick, Horace

But if you desire to do your own proving, you will have to use a dabber, the manner of making which is described in the next note.

From A Treatise on Etching by Lalanne, Maxime