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Drab - 11 dictionary results

drab

1  [drab] adjective, drab⋅ber, drab⋅best, noun
Use Drab in a Sentence
–adjective
1. dull; cheerless; lacking in spirit, brightness, etc.
2. having the color drab.
–noun
3. dull gray; dull brownish or yellowish gray.
4. any of several fabrics of this color, esp. of thick wool or cotton.
Origin:
1535–45; < MF drap < LL drappus piece of cloth

Related forms:
drably, adverb
drabness, noun

drab

2  [drab] noun, verb, drabbed, drab⋅bing.
–noun
1. a dirty, untidy woman; slattern.
2. a prostitute.
–verb (used without object)
3. to associate with drabs.
Origin:
1505–15; perh. akin to D drab dregs, lees, obs. D drablen to run or tramp about; cf. drabble, draff
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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drab 1   (drāb)   
adj.   drab·ber, drab·best
    1. Of a dull grayish to yellowish brown.
    2. Of a light olive brown or khaki color.
  2. Faded and dull in appearance.
  3. Dull or commonplace in character; dreary: a drab personality. See Synonyms at dull.
n.  
  1. A dull grayish to yellowish or light olive brown.
  2. Cloth of this color or of an unbleached natural color.

[Alteration of obsolete French drap, cloth, from Old French; see drape.]
drab'ly adv., drab'ness n.
drab 2   (drāb)   
n.  
  1. A slattern.
  2. A woman prostitute.
intr.v.   drabbed, drab·bing, drabs
To consort with prostitutes: "Even amid his drabbing, he himself retained some virginal airs" (Stanislaus Joyce).

[Possibly of Celtic origin; akin to Scottish Gaelic dràbag and Irish Gaelic drabóg, slattern, or from Dutch drab, dregs.]
drab 3   (drāb)   
n.  A negligible amount: finished the work in dribs and drabs.

[Probably alteration of drib.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Drab

Drab\, n. [AS. drabbe dregs, lees; akin to D. drab, drabbe, dregs, G. treber; for sense 1, cf. also Gael. drabag a slattern, drabach slovenly. Cf. Draff.]

1. A low, sluttish woman. --King.

2. A lewd wench; a strumpet. --Shak.

3. A wooden box, used in salt works for holding the salt when taken out of the boiling pans.

Drab

Drab\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Drabbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Drabbing.] To associate with strumpets; to wench. --Beau. & Fl.

Drab

Drab\, n. [F. drap cloth: LL. drappus, trapus, perh. orig., a firm, solid stuff, cf. F. draper to drape, also to full cloth; prob. of German origin; cf. Icel. drepa to beat, strike, AS. drepan, G. treffen; perh. akin to E. drub. Cf. Drape, Trappings.]

1. A kind of thick woolen cloth of a dun, or dull brownish yellow, or dull gray, color; -- called also drabcloth.

2. A dull brownish yellow or dull gray color.

Drab

Drab\, a. Of a color between gray and brown. -- n. A drab color.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : Drab
Spanish: apagado, soso, sin gracia, gris,
German: eintönig,
Japanese: さえない
More Translations »

drab 
1686, "color of natural, undyed cloth," from M.Fr. drap (see drape). Figurative sense is c.1880. Apparently not related to earlier word meaning "a dirty, untidy woman" (c.1515), "a prostitute" (c.1530), which seems to be connected with Ir. drabog, Gael. drabag "dirty woman," and perhaps with Low Ger. drabbe "dirt."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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drab

see dribs and drabs.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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