Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To shake; tremble; quiver; throb; flutter.
  • noun A bog or quagmire.
  • noun A fish, the eel-pout or miller's-thumb.
  • noun A gudgeon. Also quabling and quap.
  • noun A squab, or other unfledged young bird. See squab.
  • noun Something immature or crude.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun An unfledged bird; hence, something immature or unfinished.
  • intransitive verb See quob, v. i.

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word quab.

Examples

  • Sir T. Hanner reads _quab_, a _gudgeon_; not that a gudgeon can be _rubbed_ to much

    Notes to Shakespeare, Volume III: The Tragedies Samuel Johnson 1746

  • "They call it quap, or quab, or quabb," said Gordon-Nasmyth; "but our relations weren't friendly enough to get the accent right ....

    Tono Bungay 1906

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • To throb; to quiver. (from Phrontistery)

    May 23, 2008

  • "A crude or shapeless thing." (Via the OED.)

    April 22, 2011