Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A small piece of absorbent material attached to the end of a stick or wire and used for cleansing a surface, applying medicine, or collecting a sample of a substance.
- noun A sample collected with a swab.
- noun A sponge or patch of absorbent material used to clean the bore of a firearm or cannon.
- noun A mop used for cleaning floors or decks.
- noun Slang A sailor.
- noun Slang A lout.
- transitive verb To use a swab on.
- transitive verb To clean with a swab.
- transitive verb To collect a sample from (a person, for example) using a swab.
from The Century Dictionary.
- To clean with water and a swab, especially the decks of ships.
- Same as
swap . - noun Same as
swad . - noun An abbreviation of
Swabia or Swabian. - noun A utensil for cleaning.
- noun The epaulet of a naval officer.
- noun A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of the sick, or for giving them nourishment. Compare
probang . - noun In founding, a small tapering tuft of hemp, charged with water, for touching up the edges of molds.
- noun An awkward, clumsy fellow.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- transitive verb To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after washing.
- noun A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels, etc., esp. one made of rope-yarns or threads.
- noun A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like, fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person, applying medicaments to deep-seated parts, etc.
- noun (Naut.), Sailor's Slang An epaulet.
- noun obsolete A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease.
- noun A sponge, or other suitable substance, attached to a long rod or handle, for cleaning the bore of a firearm.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun medicine a small piece of
soft ,absorbent material , such asgauze , used toclean wounds ,apply medicine , or takesamples ofbody fluids . Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access. - noun A
sample taken with a swab (1). - noun A piece of material used for cleaning or sampling other items like musical instruments or guns.
- noun A
mop , especially on aship . - noun slang A
sailor ; seeswabby . - verb transitive To use a swab on something, or clean something with a swab
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion
- verb apply (usually a liquid) to a surface
- verb wash with a swab or a mop
- noun cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floors
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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For females, a cotton swab is briefly placed inside your vagina by you or your healthcare provider.
Trichomoniasis 2010
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Scene-of-crime material (bloodstains, hairs or a vaginal swab from a rape victim) are typed and matched to a DNA sample from the suspect.
Archive 2004-12-01 2004
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Yes | No | Report from diverdude41 wrote 36 weeks 2 days ago there are so many factors to think about when shooting a rifle and trying to zero. the loads, rate of twist, scope, and mounts temp of the air, and the barrel after shooting. .my recommendation is what some of the responses have already said. make 20 rounds of your test load, fire 5 rds, and let the barrel cool commpletly. swab from the breech end to remove any fouling, and try another 5 rds repeat this process 2 more times and see where you are at. remember, the first round out of you barrel will be cold ..
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Yes | No | Report from diverdude41 wrote 36 weeks 2 days ago there are so many factors to think about when shooting a rifle and trying to zero. the loads, rate of twist, scope, and mounts temp of the air, and the barrel after shooting. .my recommendation is what some of the responses have already said. make 20 rounds of your test load, fire 5 rds, and let the barrel cool commpletly. swab from the breech end to remove any fouling, and try another 5 rds repeat this process 2 more times and see where you are at. remember, the first round out of you barrel will be cold ..
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They had a positive nasal swab, which is a different -- the only indication that we have from that nasal swab is that they were exposed.
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"Splutter and oons!" cried the man, interrupting me, "who be you a-calling swab, I'd like to know!"
Humphrey Bold A Story of the Times of Benbow Herbert Strang
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The swab is a paper stick and double tipped with 100% cotton.
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The swab is a paper stick and double tipped with 100% cotton.
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It is necessary that the democratic and pragmatic America and the Europeans chancelleries raise the question of how long this kind of swab measures (with very high costs) supporting dictatorial regimes, could resist before an explosion that could originate instability and global insecurity?
Amir Madani: ElBaradei Against the Mummified Power of Pharaoh 2010
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Frequently the pernicious "swab" is used to soak and so strengthen joint outlines of the sand before drawing patterns, in such cases as this.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157, March 5, 1898 Various
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