dab

Etymology 1

From Middle English dabben (“to strike”), probably of North Germanic origin, related to Old Icelandic dabba (“to tap, slap”), perhaps ultimately imitative. Compare also with Middle Dutch dabben (“to pinch, knead, fumble, dabble”) (Dutch dabben (“(of a horse) to stamp with the forelegs”)), Dutch deppen (“to dab”), possibly German tappen (“to fumble, grope”). The noun is from Middle English dabbe (“a strike, blow”), from the verb. Related to tap. Compare also drub, dub. African-American sense of “playful box” perhaps influenced by dap (“fistbump”).

verb

1. (transitive) To press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing.
   I dabbed my face with a towel.
2. (transitive) To apply a substance in this way.
   He dabbed moisturizing liquid on his face.
3. To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust.
   1532-1533, Thomas More, The Confutation of Tyndale's Answer to dabbe him in the necke
4. (slang) To apply hash oil to a heated surface for the purpose of efficient combustion.
5. (dance, intransitive) To perform the dab dance move, by moving both arms to one side of the body parallel with your head.
   Look, my brothas don't dab, we just vossi bop 2019, Stormzy, Vossi Bop

noun

1. A soft tap or blow; a blow or peck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow.
   I promise you nothing,' said the dolls' dressmaker, dabbing two dabs at him with her needle, as if she put out both his eyes. 1865, Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend
   Then the minute feet made feeble dabs, or stabs, at the atmosphere; the tiny fists doubled themselves and wandered to and fro as if in search of the enemy. 1917, Robert Hichens, In the Wilderness
2. (African-American Vernacular) A soft, playful box given in greeting or approval.
   She gave a few more dabs to his buttocks. “There. By the time you've made love to me those weals will have dried up.” 2006, Greta X, Angela Pearson, Whipsdom, page 75
   The men gave each other dabs and another bear hug. 2010, Adrianne Byrd, Body Heat, page 177
   Python snickers while he gives Rufus dabs. “Do you,nigga. Do you.” That shit just makes Rufus's lips stretch wider. “You see this, Peaches? This is like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval right here.” page 197: I step closer to Profit and draw in a deep, steadying breath while the brothers exchange dabs. “What's up, fam? I see you finally made it.” 2010, De'nesha Diamond, Hustlin' Divas, page 220
3. A small amount, a blob of some soft or wet substance.
   a dab of glue
   1. (slang) A small amount of hash oil.
4. (chiefly in the plural, dated, Britain) Fingerprint.
   One had Glash's dabs on it and a half-inch of Macallan at the bottom. 2022, Liam McIlvanney, The Heretic, page 132
5. (dance) A hip hop dance move in which the dancer simultaneously drops the head while raising an arm, briefly resting their face in the elbow, as if sneezing into their elbow.
6. (obsolete) A dabbler.

adv

1. With a dab, or sudden contact.

Etymology 2

Perhaps corrupted from adept.

noun

1. One skilful or proficient; an expert; an adept.
   c. 1759-1770?, Oliver Goldsmith, Essay One excels at a plan or the title page, another works away at the body of the book, and the third is a dab at an index.
   Indeed I had always heard what a dab he was at a Love-letter. 1791-92, Jane Austen, ‘A Collection of Letters’, Juvenilia

Etymology 3

Late Middle English dabbe, of unknown origin; perhaps related to sense 1 (“to press against lightly”) as in "a soft mass dabbed down."

noun

1. A small flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, especially Limanda limanda; a flounder.
2. (US) A sand dab, a small flatfish of genus Citharichthys.

Etymology 4

Back slang for bad.

adj

1. (obsolete, costermongers) Bad.
   Business topics are discussed in a most peculiar style. One man takes the pipe from his mouth and says, "Bill made a doogheno hit this morning." "Jem," says another, to a man just entering, "you'll stand a top o' reeb?" "On," answers Jem, "I've had a trosseno tol, and have been doing dab." 1851, Henry Mayhew, “Habits and Amusements of Costermongers”, in London Labour and the London Poor, volume 1, page 11
   One afternoon, arriving at his stall later than usual, I said, almost unknowingly, 'A doogheno or a dabheno?' Jo, who had often chaffed me for my awkward mimicking of coster language, didn't even look up from peeling his apple. 'Dab,' he said, with a little shake of his head. 2012, Anthony Quinn, The Streets, page 33