swab

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“
Pass a line around his legs and stuff a swab into his mouth if he don't stop swearing Steady," said Trunnell, "none of that," as the swab was being brought up.

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Definitions (23)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (9)

  1. noun A small piece of absorbent material attached to the end of a stick or wire and used for cleansing or applying medicine.
  2. noun A specimen of mucus or other material removed with a swab.
  3. noun A sponge or patch of absorbent material used to clean the bore of a firearm or cannon.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (8)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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Examples (50)

  • The product will come enclosed in a foil pouch and the swab will be saturated with the adhesive remover solution. —  Advertising Industry Newswire
  • Next, an alcohol swab should be used to clean the injection site and another alcohol swab should be used to clean the rubber stopper on top of the vial which will be drawn from. —  MyLinkVault Newest Links
  • The vinegar swab is a cheap way to mark damaged tissues but unspecific.
  • If you can get DNA samples from a mouth swab, chances are you're just going to need a little puff of spit. —  Motherhood Uncensored
  • The swab was designed especially for use on thermal printers which incur adhesive build up from regular use during label printing. —  Advertising Industry Newswire
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This word has been looked up 82 times.

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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Back-formation from swabber, mop for a ship's deck (from obsolete Dutch *zwabber, from zwabben, to mop) or from obsolete Dutch swabbe, mop (from Middle Dutch).

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. Also swob; apparently first in the noun swabber, from Middle Dutch *swabber, from swabben = German schwappen, splash, = Norwegian svabba, subba, splash; otherwise in freq. form: Swedish svabla = Danish svabre, swab, = Dutch zwabberen, drudge. Cf. swabble and swap.
  2. Also swob; from swab, v. Cf. Swedish svab, a swab, fire-brush; Norwegian svabb, svabba, a careless person.
 

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/swɑb/
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