tribble

Etymology 1

Unknown. The Century Dictionary suggests possibly a corruption of cribble (“sieve”).

noun

1. A horizontal frame with wires stretched across it for drying paper.

Etymology 2

Probably invented for alliteration with trouble; the creatures first appeared in an episode called "The Trouble with Tribbles".

noun

1. A fictional alien creature in Star Trek, a fast-breeding, cooing ball of fur.
   Scales have proliferated like tribbles in quadra-triticale: just intonations, equal temperaments, scales based on overtones, scales generated from a single interval or pair of intervals, scales without octaves, scales arising from arcane mathematical formulas, scales that reflect cosmological or religious structures, scales that "come from the heart." 1998, William A. Sethares, Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale, page 49
   The Hyper-Producing Playwrights of Edmondton: Or Why Alberta’s Capital Breeds New Plays Like Tribbles. 2008, Robin C. Whittaker, editor, Hot Thespian Action!, page 569
   They were like tribbles, multiplying by the dozens, cackling, giggling their maniacal joy at the game. 2010, Dakota Cassidy, chapter 19, in Accidentally Demonic
   They breed like tribbles, but at least they’re not terrestrial. 2015, Zanzibar 7. Schwarzenegger, Veneri Verbum, page 19