Tab·by n.; pl. Tabbies
1. A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
2. A mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry, this becomes as hard as rock.
3. A brindled cat; hence, popularly, any cat.
4. An old maid or gossip. [Colloq.]