tab
pronunciation
How to pronounce tab in British English:
UK [tæb]
How to pronounce tab in American English:
US [tæb]
-
- Noun:
- the bill in a restaurant
- sensationalist journalism
- the key on an electric typewriter that causes a tabulation
- a short strip of material attached to or projecting from something in order to facilitate opening or identifying or handling it
- a dose of medicine in the form of a small pellet
Word Origin
- tab (n.1)
- "small flap or strip of material," c. 1600, possibly from a dialectal word, of uncertain origin. Often interchangeable with tag (n.1). Compare also Middle English tab "strap or string" (mid-15c.), Norwegian dialectal tave "piece of cloth, rag."
- tab (n.2)
- "account, bill, check," 1888, American English colloquial, probably a shortened form of tabulation or of tablet in the sense "a sheet for writing on." Figurative phrase keep a tab on is recorded from 1890.
- tab (n.3)
- 1961, shortened form of tablet (especially one of sugar containing LSD). As an abbreviation of tabloid (newspaper) it is 1990s slang. As a short form of tabulator key of a typewriter (later computer) it is recorded from 1916.
- tab (v.)
- "designate, label, name," 1924, earlier "affix a tab to" 1872 (implied in tabbed), perhaps an alteration of tag (v.2). Related: Tabbing. Also see tab (n.1).
Example
- 1. The applications tab displays launchers for the software installed on the system .
- 2. Does anybody seriously suggest that they should be picking up the tab ?
- 3. Preferences are under general tab .
- 4. If one tab crashes , the rest of the browser keeps running .
- 5. The browse tab reveals a list of currently uploaded and available color themes .