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tabulator

 - 7 dictionary results

tab⋅u⋅la⋅tor

  [tab-yuh-ley-ter]
Use tabulator in a Sentence
–noun
1. a person or thing that tabulates.
2. tab 1 (def. 7).
Origin:
1880–85; tabulate + -or 2

tab

1  [tab] noun, verb, tabbed, tab⋅bing.
–noun
1. a small flap, strap, loop, or similar appendage, as on a garment, used for pulling, hanging, or decoration.
2. a tag or label.
3. a small projection from a card, paper, or folder, used as an aid in filing.
4. Informal. a bill, as for a meal in a restaurant; check.
5. a small piece attached or intended to be attached, as to an automobile license plate.
6. a small flap or tongue of material used to seal or close the opening of a container.
7. Also called tabulator. a stop on a typewriter, actuated by a key, that moves the carriage, typing element, etc., a predetermined number of spaces, used for typing material in columns, for fixed indentations, etc.
8. a programmed command on a computer, actuated by a key, that moves the cursor or printhead a predetermined number of spaces, used for keying material in columns, for fixed indentations, etc.
9. Theater.
a. a small, often narrow, drop curtain, for masking part of the stage.
b. tableau curtain.
10. Aeronautics. a small airfoil hinged to the rear portion of a control surface, as to an elevator, aileron, or rudder. Compare trim tab.
–verb (used with object)
11. to furnish or ornament with a tab or tabs.
12. to name or designate.
–verb (used without object)
13. Also, tabulate. to operate the tab function on a typewriter or computer.
—Idiom
14. keep tabs or tab on, Informal. to keep an account of; check on; observe: The police kept tabs on the suspect's activities.
Origin:
1600–10; (in defs. 1–3, 5) < ?; (in defs. 7 and 8) short for tabulator; (in def. 9) short for tableau; (in defs. 4 and 14) partly from shortening of table, partly in sense of def. 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tabulator
tab·u·la·tor   (tāb'yə-lā'tər)   
n.  

  1. One that tabulates.

  2. A machine that reads, sorts, and prints out information from punched cards.

  3. A mechanism on a typewriter for setting automatic stops or margins for columns.

  4. Computer Science A device for reading data from punched cards and producing printed lists or totals of the result.

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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Slang Dictionary
tab

  1. n.
    a bill (for something). (From tabulation. See also chit.) : Marlowe paid the tab and left quietly.
  2. n.
    a tablet (of medicine). : Take a couple of aspirin tabs and call me in the morning.
  3. tv.
    to identify someone. : I couldn't quite tab her, but when she started talking I knew right away who she was.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

tab  (3)
1961, shortened form of tablet (esp. one of sugar containing LSD). As an abbreviation of tabloid (newspaper) it is 1990s slang. As a short form of tabulator key of a typewriter (later computer) it is recorded from 1916.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

TAB

See tax anticipation bill.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tab
Pronunciation: 'tab
Function: noun
: TABLET
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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