Cobbed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A term often used in reference to a specific type of irregularly shaped object or structure that has characteristics of being bulky or compact
2. Describing something that has been fashioned or formed in a manner that is uneven or coarse, potentially leading to a robust appearance
3. Referring to a method or style of construction where materials are clustered together in a rough and solid fashion, resulting in a sturdy but imperfect shape

Etymology: "Cobbed" is the past tense of "cob," used in the sense of building or shaping something roughly, with a coarse, uneven finish. The verb is used mainly in a building context, where it describes walls made from a stiff mix of earth and straw, or of clay, rammed into shape without fine tooling. The verb's history is tangled, and the sources do not agree on where its senses come from. The verb's rough, lumpy sense may connect with a "cob" that meant a lump or rounded mass, perhaps related to the word for the central part of an ear of corn, from which the verb might also draw its idea of something rounded and heaped. Some scholars have linked the family to a "cob" meaning a head or top, though the exact route is uncertain. Because so many possible origins have been proposed, the precise path to this particular verb cannot be traced with confidence. What is clear is that its meaning rests on the idea of something shaped quickly and roughly, not finished with care.