dobby
[ dob-ee ]
noun,plural dob·bies.
British Dialect. a fatuous person; fool.
Textiles.
an attachment on a loom, used in weaving small patterns.
Also called dobby weave . a small geometric or floral pattern produced by this attachment.
a fabric having such a pattern.
Origin of dobby
11685–95; akin to dial. dovie stupid, imbecile, derivative of dove to doze, dote, Old English dofian, dobian; cognate with German toben to rage; compare Old English dobende decrepit
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for dobby
dobby
/ (ˈdɒbɪ) /
nounplural -bies
an attachment to a loom, used in weaving small figures
Origin of dobby
1C17: perhaps from Dobby, pet form of Robert
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
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