tab

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See also: Tab, TAB, t.a.b., t-ab, тав, and Тав

Translingual

Symbol

tab

  1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Tabasaran.

English

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tæb/,
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -æb

Etymology 1

First attested 1607, of uncertain origin.

Noun

tab (plural tabs)

  1. A small flap or strip of material attached to something, for holding, manipulation, identification, opening etc.
  2. (slang) An ear.
  3. (by extension, graphical user interface) A navigational widget, resembling a physical tab, for switching between documents or sets of controls.
  4. (graphical user interface) The page or form associated with such a navigational widget.
    How many tabs are open in your Web browser?
  5. (British Army, military slang) A fast march or run with full kit.

Verb

tab (third-person singular simple present tabs, present participle tabbing, simple past and past participle tabbed)

  1. (transitive) To affix with tabs; to label.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Apocopation (shortening) of (variously) tabulate, tabulator, or tabulation.

Noun

tab (plural tabs)

  1. (informal, chiefly Canada, US) A restaurant bill.
  2. (informal, chiefly Canada, US) Credit account, e.g., in a shop or bar; slate
    Put this round on my tab, please, barman.
  3. (by extension) The cost or bill for anything.
    • 1984, Time, volume 123, number 1:
      Moreover, at a tab of $9 million, the system's price is about $1 million less than a conventional heating-cooling plant []
  4. (computing) A space character that extends to the next aligned column, traditionally used for tabulation.
    Synonyms: tabulator, \t
    • 2016 May 29, Carson Mell, “Bachmanity Insanity”, in Silicon Valley, season 3, episode 6, spoken by Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch):
      No no no no I don't, it's not hate, hate is a strong word, truth be told I do have a slight preference for tabs but that's only because I'm anal and because I prefer precision.

Verb

tab (third-person singular simple present tabs, present participle tabbing, simple past and past participle tabbed)

  1. (computing) To use the Tab key on a computer to advance the cursor or move the input focus, or on a typewriter to advance the carriage.
    • 2010, Chris Anderson, Pro Business Applications with Silverlight 4, page 210:
      You can prevent a control from getting the focus when the user is tabbing between controls by settings its IsTabStop property to False.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 3

Likely to have been formed by clipping the Geordie pronunciation of the word tobacco or alternatively from the brand name Ogden's Tabs.

Noun

tab (plural tabs)

  1. (Geordie and Mackem) A cigarette.
    Lend us a tab!
Translations

References

  • Frank Graham (1987) The New Geordie Dictionary, →ISBN

Etymology 4

Clipping of tablature

Noun

tab (plural tabs)

  1. A form of musical notation indicating fingering rather than the pitch of notes, commonly used for stringed instruments.
Translations

Etymology 5

Clipping of Cantab, from Cantabrigian, from Latin Cantabrigia (Cambridge).

Alternative forms

Noun

tab (plural tabs)

  1. (Oxbridge slang) A student of Cambridge University.
    • 1995 January 20, Paul Thomas, “Re: >Re: Those 'orrible Tabs”, in rec.sport.rowing (Usenet):
      You should have been there---it was a good race. Just to clarify matters for the hard of understanding, the tabs led for about 1500m before turning to shrapnel, and Oxford eventually won by 3/4 length.
    • 1995 February 7, "Laser Cartridge" , “Re: Cambridge News, again.”, in rec.sport.rowing (Usenet):
      Before Rachel gets in with a stab at the Tabs' coxing efforts, may I say that my experience of coxes on the Isis is somewhat similar.
    • 1998 January 17, whitey , “Re: Tab bashing (was University Challenge - Its pish)”, in rec.arts.tv.uk.misc (Usenet):
      Plus, there's always been a healthy rivalry between the tabs and us, but I'm sure this has nothing to do with it ;-)
    • 2002 March 27, The Guv'nor , “Re: My target this week was...”, in uk.rec.bodybuilding (Usenet):
      I hope the Tabs get beaten! :-) I support Oxford for no real reason but they have a bad habit of losing to Cambridge recently.
    • 2002 March 29, Caroline Smith, “Re: Lifejackets thread returns... ”, in rec.sport.rowing (Usenet):
      I have nothing against the girl (other than the fact she's a tab!), but it does strike me as a little daft!!
    • 2006 March 30, JY , “Veterans Boat Race (that's Oxford, England vs Cambridge, England)”, in rec.sport.rowing (Usenet):
      Anybody know who won? ¶ Or should that be, how much did the Tabs win by? ;-)

Etymology 6

Clipping of tabloid.

Noun

tab (plural tabs)

  1. (colloquial) A tabloid newspaper.
    • 1999, George H. Douglas, The Golden Age of the Newspaper, page 229:
      By 1926 the tabloid mania was at full tilt, and the tabs in New York went at each other with hammer and tong.
    • 2010, Robert Lusetich, Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season:
      That is the attitude of the tabs: they cover the world's most important city.

Etymology 7

Clipping of tablet.

Noun

tab (plural tabs)

  1. (informal) A tablet, especially one containing illicit drugs.
    • 2008, Stephen King, Graduation Weekend:
      Tonight the kids will go out and party down in a more righteous mode. Alcohol and not a few tabs of X will be ingested. Club music will throb through big speakers.
Translations

Etymology 8

Noun

tab (plural tabs)

  1. (informal, theater) A tableau curtain.
Derived terms

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology 1

Derived from the verb tabe (to lose).

Pronunciation

Noun

tab n (singular definite tabet, plural indefinite tab)

  1. loss
  2. casualty
Declension

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

Verb

tab

  1. imperative of tabe

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French table.

Pronunciation

Noun

tab

  1. table

Nawdm

Etymology

Cognate with Kabiyé tɔʋ, Gur Lama tʋn, Tem tɔ́ɔ́wʊ, Mbelime ta̰nbù, Gourmanchéma dabanli, Moba talbann, Farefare tãpɔ, Moore tãpo, Dagbani tɔbu, Ntcham butɔbu.

Noun

tab b (plural tawni ɦi)

  1. bow

References

  • Bakabima, Koulon Stéphane, Nicole, Jacques (2018) Nawdm-French Dictionary, SIL International

Sumerian

Romanization

tab

  1. Romanization of 𒋰 (tab)

Volapük

Etymology

Borrowed from English table (table → tab; compare French: table, Latin: tabula, Interlingua: tabula, Esperanto: tablo, Ido: tablo).

Pronunciation

Noun

tab (nominative plural tabs)

  1. table (item of furniture)

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms


Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from English tab.

Pronunciation

Noun

tab m (plural tabiau or tabs)

  1. tab (numerous senses)
    Mae gen ti ormod o dabiau ar agor.
    You've got too many tabs open.
    Rho fe ar y tab.
    Put it on the tab.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
tab dab nhab thab
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “tab”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies