tabby

¹ American  

[tab-ee] / ˈtæb i /

noun

• tabbies
  plural

1. a cat with a striped or brindled coat.

2. a domestic cat, especially a female one.

3. a spinster.

4. a spiteful female gossip or tattler.

5. plain weave.

6. a watered silk fabric, or any other watered material, as moreen.

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adjective

1. striped or brindled.

2. made of or resembling tabby.

verb (used with object)

tabbied, tabbying

1. to give a wavy or watered appearance to, as silk.

tabby ² American  

[tab-ee] / ˈtæb i /

noun

1. (in the southeastern United States) a building material composed of ground oyster shells, lime, and sand, mixed with salt water.

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tabby ¹ British  

/ ˈtæbɪ /

adjective

1. (esp of cats) brindled with dark stripes or wavy markings on a lighter background

2. having a wavy or striped pattern, particularly in colours of grey and brown

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noun

1. a tabby cat

2. any female domestic cat

3. informal a gossiping old woman

4. slang any girl or woman

tabby ² British  

/ ˈtæbɪ /

noun

1. a fabric with a watered pattern, esp silk or taffeta

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tabbies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tabby¹

First recorded in 1630–40; back formation from French tabis (taken as plural), Middle French (a)tabis “silk cloth,” from Medieval Latin attābi, from Arabic ʿattābī, derivative of (al) ʿAttābīyah, quarter of Baghdad where the silk was first made, literally, “the quarter of (Prince) ʿAttāb”

Origin of tabby²

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75; of uncertain origin; perhaps from Gullah tabi, from a West African language

Explanation

A tabby is a house cat with stripes on its fur, often in browns and grays. There are different breeds of tabby cats. Occasionally one will dangle off a branch under a caption that says, “Hang in there.” Tabby can refer to domesticated cats, but it's also an adjective describing the stripy pattern itself. Tabby cats, with their swirling tabby patches, might also have a marking in the shape of an M on their foreheads. Maine coon cats are one example of a tabby breed. In the 1600's, tabby was a kind of striped silk fabric, and the word comes from the Arabic 'Attabiy, a Baghdad neighborhood where the cloth was traditionally produced.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tabby tabbies

A 13-year-old tabby cat that went missing 10 years ago has found her way back home.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

The only pet mentioned in her memoir, however, is Willow, the gray tabby Jill adopted after encountering the cat in a Pennsylvania barn on the campaign trail.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

Since then, the white and tabby cat, officially introduced on Downing Street's website as the "Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office", has reigned supreme from the country's most photographed doorstep.

From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026

Genovese allegedly stole a 2 1/2-year-old orange tabby cat named Lancelot from a resident in Ventura, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2025

There was no one, only the placid tabby cat gazing at me from under the shelter of the eaves.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

By varying the number of warp threads, weavers could create common Icelandic patterns, mostly basic weaves known as twills and tabbies.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 15, 2022

For example, if he hears the expression “It’s raining cats and dogs,” he expects tabbies and terriers to fall from the skies.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 21, 2021

There are spotted shorthairs, eyes turned upward in remorse; blue-and-green tabbies with Groucho Marx eyebrows knitted in confusion.

From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2021

These theatrical tabbies and toms will survive this latest wreck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2019

Spotted tabbies to count the same in all points, the only difference being that instead of stripes, the cats are marked with clear, well-defined spots.

From Our Cats and All About Them Their Varieties, Habits, and Management; and for Show, the Standard of Excellence and Beauty; Described and Pictured by Harrison Weir