Swab

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /swɒb/

Definitions

1. An absorbent item often used for cleaning or applying liquids
2. A small, absorbent implement designed for cleaning surfaces or applying substances, frequently employed in medical settings, laboratories, or personal hygiene practices
3. A piece of soft, absorbent material used to wipe, clean, or apply fluids in various situations

Etymology: Sailors gave us this word for a mop. In the mid-1600s, a "swab" was the implement used to clean a ship's decks, and the men assigned to that job were called "swabbers." The word the swabbers were named for came from Middle Dutch "zwabber," which has its roots in a Germanic base meaning "splash" or "sway." Seafaring Dutch and Germans brought that imagery of wet, swaying water to the ship's deck. The medical sense came later, once the English word for a mop was applied to small absorbent tools for cleaning wounds or collecting samples. The word's history therefore runs from the wet, swinging motion of the ship's deck to the sterile cotton tip in a clinic. Its verb use, meaning to clean or wipe with a mop or similar implement, follows the same nautical path back-formed from "swabber."

Synonyms: wipe, clean, sponge, mop, dab

Antonyms: dirty, soil, smudge, stain, blemish