Dibbed

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Pushed a pointed tool into soil to make small holes for seeds or bulbs ; lightly dipped or dabbed something into a liquid
2. Poked small holes in the earth so seeds could be set in them ; touched or dipped something briefly into a liquid or paste
3. Made planting holes in the ground with a pointed stick or tool ; gave something a quick, light dip into a liquid

Etymology: "Dibbed" is the past tense of "dib," a verb that has long been used in British English for a specific bit of playground and pub-quiz business: a player who calls "dib" claims a right or a turn. The verb is generally thought to be a variant of "dip" or "dab," words that share the sense of touching, dipping, or pressing something lightly into place. The word's pedigree is therefore humble. Rather than being borrowed from another language or built from classical parts, "dib" seems to have grown out of the vocabulary of quick, light contact, and it kept that sense of a small, decisive gesture as it took on its game-related meanings. "Dibbed" simply follows the regular pattern of English past tenses, adding "-ed" to the base form.

Synonyms: dabbed, dipped