tabby
tabby
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling and Syllable Breakdown
The IPA phonetic spelling for the English word "tabby" is /tæb.i/.
Syllable Sounds Breakdown
First Syllable /tæb/:
/t/: Voiceless alveolar plosive (like the 't' in 'top')
/æ/: Near-open front unrounded vowel (like the 'a' in 'cat')
/b/: Voiced bilabial plosive (like the 'b' in 'bat')
Second Syllable /i/:
/i/: Close front unrounded vowel (like the 'ee' in 'see' or the 'y' in 'happy')
Word Form Variations
The common word form variations for "tabby" are:
Singular Noun: tabby (referring to one cat or one type of fabric)
Plural Noun: tabbies (referring to multiple cats or types of fabric)
Adjective: tabby (describing something with a striped, mottled, or brindled coat/pattern)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
The definitions for "tabby" are grouped by part of speech.
Noun
Definition 1: A domesticated cat, usually female, distinguished by a coat pattern of stripes, swirls, or spots—not a solid color. The pattern is genetic and common among various cat breeds.
Synonyms: tabby cat, brindled cat, striped cat
Antonyms: solid-color cat, self-colored cat
Definition 2: A plain-woven silk or cotton fabric, historically characterized by being watered or figured, originally made in the region of Baghdad.
Synonyms: moiré, taffeta (when referring to the fabric type)
Antonyms: satin, velvet (referring to different weave types)
Adjective
Definition 1: Having a striped, mottled, or streaked coat or pattern, especially used to describe a cat's markings.
Synonyms: striped, mottled, brindled, streaked
Antonyms: solid, plain, self-colored
Examples of Use
📚 Books and Literature
Classic Children's Fiction: The character Garfield, the famously lazy, lasagna-loving cat created by Jim Davis, is consistently referred to as an orange tabby (Source: Garfield comic strip, first published June 1978).
Modern Literary Fiction: In Han Dong's A Tabby-cat's Tale, the narrator uses the presence of a tabby-cat to reflect on the deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend, noting the absurdity of comparing a person "to the level of a cat" (Source: A Tabby-cat's Tale, 2014).
Poetry: The American poet Charles Bukowski wrote the poem "Tabby cat" (1976), using the feline's name to describe a young, athletic boy who moves with the same soft, careless grace.
📰 News and Online Publications
Historical Archives: A 1936 photo, now in the Library of Congress collection, features an unassuming tabby cat costumed as the legendary Brünnhilde, showing the enduring tradition of costuming and photographing felines (Source: Library of Congress Blogs, January 2023).
Pet Adoption/Animal Welfare: Animal shelters and rescue organizations frequently use the term to identify felines for adoption: "Meet Sugar, the three-year-old tabby cat who is looking for her forever home" (Source: Cats Only Clinic News Archives, January 2021).
General Feline Information: Articles frequently clarify the common misconception about the term: "Contrary to popular belief, the tabby cat isn't a specific cat breed but rather a cat coat pattern. They usually feature an 'M'-shaped mark on their foreheads" (Source: The Spruce Pets, June 2025).
🎬 Entertainment and Platforms
Television and Film: Orangey, the cat who appeared as "Cat" in the film Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), was an orange tabby.
Online Streaming/Vlogs: Cat-focused YouTube channels often feature the word in their titles and descriptions: The New Tabby Cat, Naughty Simba, Mini Tennis Balls - Cat Family Vlog (Source: YouTube, May 2022).
Web Extensions/Digital Media: "Tabby Cat" is the name of a popular Chrome web extension that "brightens your day with a new animal in every new tab," showing the term's use in naming digital properties (Source: Chrome Web Store, December 2023).
🗣️ General Public Discourse
Pet Discussions: In online forums and social media, owners often describe their pets using the coat pattern: "My classic brown tabby isn't at all cuddly, very affectionate, but won't sit in your lap," highlighting the common debate over whether the coat pattern correlates with a specific personality (Source: Reddit, December 2023).
Historical Fabric/Etymology: The word's historical use, though less common today, is still noted in discussions of language origin: "The term 'tabby' is believed to have originated from Baghdad... from the translation of the French phrase 'striped silk taffeta'" (Source: Cat Town, April 2018).
10 Famous Quotes Using Tabby
"Her coat is of the tabby kind, with tiger stripes and leopard spots." (T. S. Eliot, "The Old Gumbie Cat" from Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats)
"Demurest of the tabby kind, The pensive Selima reclined, Gazed on the lake below." (Thomas Gray, "Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes")
"The gentlest, fondest of the tabby race; Before him frisking through the garden glade." (Anna Seward, "An Old Cat's Dying Soliloquy")
"It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar—a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr Dursley didn't realize what he had seen—then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Dri1ve." (J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)
"Tabby cats were named after a striped silk that was in turn named for its place of origin: a quarter of Baghdad named al-’Attābiyya." (R.F. Kuang, Babel)
"Her tabby cat, her cage of birds, Her nose, her hair, her muffled words." (Walter de la Mare, "Miss Loo")
"Mildred was the last of all, and when she reached the table Miss Cackle pulled out of the basket not a sleek black kitten like all the others but a little tabby with white paws." (Jill Murphy, The Worst Witch)
"He’s like a young colt but somehow he also reminds me more of a tabby cat." (Charles Bukowski, "Tabby cat" from Love is a Dog from Hell)
"You know, Mouse," [Tabby] said, "a brilliant cat like me should have smart friends; people who can count to more than four." (Ruth Park, The Muddle-Headed Wombat at School)
"A tabby cat's stripes are a testament to the unique journey it has walked, reminding us that our own paths, no matter how winding, shape our true beauty." (Original Quote)
Etymology
The word "tabby" has a fascinating journey from the Middle East to becoming associated with a striped cat. It originally had nothing to do with felines, but instead referred to a type of fabric.
Here is the breakdown of its origins:
The Starting Point (Arabic): The word's ultimate root is the Arabic term "attābīya" or "attābī". This term referred to a neighborhood in Baghdad called Al-'Attābiyya, which was renowned for producing a particular kind of silk cloth.
The Meaning (Fabric): This specific fabric was a type of taffeta—a rich, plain-woven silk. Its distinctive feature was a shimmering, wavy, or watered pattern, often produced by pressing the cloth (a pattern known today as moiré).
The Transmission (French/Latin): The word traveled to Europe, where it was adopted into Medieval Latin and then into Old French as "tabis". It still exclusively meant this rich, patterned fabric.
The English Adoption and Shift (17th Century): When the word entered English, it was initially used to describe the silk itself, but its meaning soon broadened to refer to any surface with a streaked, striped, or mottled appearance, like the watered silk.
The Feline Connection: By the late 17th or early 18th century, English speakers noticed that the natural coat pattern of a common domestic cat—with its contrasting stripes and streaks—resembled the wavy, lined pattern of the expensive tabby silk. Thus, the name for the patterned silk was transferred to the patterned cat.
In summary:
First Known Use/Meaning: In English, the word tabby first referred to a striped or watered silk fabric, circa the late 17th century, derived from a district in Baghdad famous for the cloth.
The Cat Connection: The common striped cat was later named a tabby because its coat resembled the fabric's streaked pattern.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Tabby
Direct Phrases and Descriptions
Tabby cat: The most common phrase, simply referring to a cat with a striped, mottled, or spotted coat pattern.
Classic tabby: A specific coat pattern distinguished by bold, swirling, marble-like markings on the sides of the cat.
Mackerel tabby: A specific coat pattern featuring narrow, parallel stripes that run vertically down the cat's sides, resembling a fish skeleton.
Ticked tabby: A pattern where the individual hairs are banded with different colors, giving the cat a non-striped, sandy, or salt-and-pepper appearance.
Orange tabby: A description for a tabby cat whose stripes are in shades of red, yellow, or cream.
Supplemental and Figurative Phrases
These phrases either use the word figuratively or employ a cat-related synonym for an idiomatic effect:
To be a mouser of the tabby sort: (Lesser-Known Phrase) To be a reliable, skilled hunter, based on the historical reputation of tabby cats as excellent working felines.
To have a striped coat like tabby: (Descriptive Phrase) To emphasize the distinct, lined appearance of something, referencing the fabric's original meaning.
The cat's pajamas: (Synonym-Based Idiom) While not using "tabby," this idiom uses a synonym, cat, to mean something that is excellent or top-notch (often attributed to the popularity of the animated character Felix the Cat, who was a black and white cat).
Let the cat out of the bag: (Synonym-Based Idiom) To reveal a secret, emphasizing the quick and difficult containment of a cat, regardless of whether it's a tabby or another coat pattern.
Curiosity killed the cat: (Synonym-Based Idiom) A warning against excessive inquisitiveness (often associated with the curious nature common to all domestic cats, including tabbies).
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of tabby from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
