| 释义 |
drab
I. \ˈdrab, -aa(ə)b\ noun
(-s)
Etymology: perhaps of Celtic origin; akin to Scottish Gaelic drabag dirty woman, Irish Gaelic drabog slattern, slut, from & akin to Irish Gaelic drab spot, stain, dirt, from Middle Irish, grape husks, dregs — more at draff
1. : a slatternly woman
2. : prostitute, harlot
II. intransitive verb
(drabbed ; drabbed ; drabbing ; drabs)
: to associate with strumpets : wench
< a waster, an idler; drinking and drabbing — Aldous Huxley >
III. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle French drap cloth, from Late Latin drappus, probably of Celtic origin; akin to Celtic personal names Drappō, Drappus; akin to Greek drepein to pluck, Sanskrit drāpi mantle, garment, Old English teran to tear — more at tear
1. : any of various cloths of a dull brown or gray color
< the carpet was an ancient drab — Ethel Wilson >
especially : a thick woolen coating or a heavy cotton
2. [drab (IV) ]
a. : a light olive brown that is slightly less strong than sponge, less strong and slightly redder than average mustard tan, and darker than the color dust — called also mode beige, rustic drab, sand dune
b. : a dull, lifeless, or faded hue or appearance
< the silks with which the figures are embroidered have mostly faded to a general drab, but it is still possible to make out some red and green — O. Elfrida Saunders >
3. : the quality or state of being drab : dullness
< for this slight relief from the intolerable drab of his life story one may be grateful — V.L.Parrington >
IV. adjective
(drabber ; drabbest)
1.
a. : of the dull brown color of drab cloth
b. : of the color drab
2. : characterized by dullness and monotony : colorless, cheerless
< a drab pile of masonry >
< a usually drab and lifeless subject — R.T.Hoober >
< the writer's drab vision of life >
• drab·ly adverb
• drab·ness noun -es
V. transitive verb
(drabbed ; drabbed ; drabbing ; drabs)
Etymology: drab (IV)
: to dull or tone down (color)
VI. noun
(-s)
Etymology: origin unknown
: a wooden box used in saltworks for holding the salt taken out of the pans used in boiling |