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, especially of thick wool or cotton.
Origin:
1535–45; < Middle French drap < Late Latin drappus piece of cloth
1535–45; < Middle French drap < Late Latin drappus piece of cloth
Related forms
drab·ly, adverb
drab·ness, noun
00:10
Drab
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To drab
Collins
World English Dictionary
drab1 (dræb) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj , drabber, drabbest | |
| 1. | dull; dingy; shabby |
| 2. | cheerless; dreary: a drab evening |
| 3. | of the colour drab |
| —n | |
| 4. | a light olive-brown colour |
| 5. | a fabric of a dull grey or brown colour |
| [C16: from Old French drap cloth, from Late Latin drappus, perhaps of Celtic origin] | |
| 'drably1 | |
| —adv | |
| 'drabness1 | |
| —n | |
| drab2 (dræb) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a slatternly woman |
| 2. | a whore |
| —vb , drabs, drabbing, drabbed | |
| 3. | (intr) to consort with prostitutes |
| [C16: of Celtic origin; compare Scottish Gaelic drabag] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
The world would be incredibly dull, drab and lonely without them.
Paleontologists are used to drab brown and gray fossils.
But in the last few years the area has shed its drab industrial look for a more polished appearance.
Revolutionary slogans are strung across drab office buildings and apartments.
Idioms & Phrases
Nearby Words
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