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tribble. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
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tribble in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
Unknown. The Century Dictionary suggests possibly a corruption of cribble (“sieve”).
Noun
tribble (plural tribbles)
- A horizontal frame with wires stretched across it for drying paper.
Alternative forms
References
- “tribble”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “tribble”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Etymology 2
Probably invented for alliteration with trouble; the creatures first appeared in an episode called "The Trouble with Tribbles".
Noun
tribble (plural tribbles)
- A fictional alien creature in Star Trek, a fast-breeding, cooing ball of fur.
1998, William A. Sethares, Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale, page 49:Scales have proliferated like tribbles in quadra-triticale: just intonations, equal temperaments, scales based on overtones, scales generated from a single interval or pair of intervals, scales without octaves, scales arising from arcane mathematical formulas, scales that reflect cosmological or religious structures, scales that "come from the heart."
2008, Robin C. Whittaker, editor, Hot Thespian Action!, page 569:The Hyper-Producing Playwrights of Edmondton: Or Why Alberta’s Capital Breeds New Plays Like Tribbles.
2010, Dakota Cassidy, chapter 19, in Accidentally Demonic:They were like tribbles, multiplying by the dozens, cackling, giggling their maniacal joy at the game.
2015, Zanzibar 7. Schwarzenegger, Veneri Verbum, page 19:They breed like tribbles, but at least they’re not terrestrial.