swab

B2 Topic:Materials & Substances

US /swɑb/ UK /swɒb/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a small piece of absorbent material used for cleaning or taking samples

The nurse used a swab to clean the wound.
2

verb
to clean or take a sample with a swab

The doctor performed a throat swab to test for infection.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a small piece of absorbent... pad wipe mop cloth gauze

2 verb · to clean or take a sample... wipe mop clean dab scrub

Simplified etymology

Swab comes from Dutch swabber, a sailor assigned to wash decks. English adopted the term in the mid-17th century and shortened it to swab.

Etymology

Back-formation from swabber, from Middle Dutch swabber ('mop') and Middle Low German swabben ('to swab, mop'), ultimately from Proto-Germanic; entering Early Modern English as a cleaning tool and the act of cleaning.

Topics

Materials & Substances

External links

# swab

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /swɑb/
**IPA (UK):** /swɒb/

## Meanings
1. a small piece of absorbent material used for cleaning or taking samples
2. to clean or take a sample with a swab

## Examples
- The nurse used a swab to clean the wound.
- The doctor performed a throat swab to test for infection.

## Synonyms
- pad
- wipe
- mop
- cloth
- gauze
- clean
- dab
- scrub

## Etymology
Back-formation from swabber, from Middle Dutch swabber ('mop') and Middle Low German swabben ('to swab, mop'), ultimately from Proto-Germanic; entering Early Modern English as a cleaning tool and the act of cleaning.

## AI Etymology
Swab is traced through back-formation from swabber, from Middle Dutch swabber ('mop') and Middle Low German swabben ('to swab, mop'), ultimately from Proto-Germanic; entering Early Modern English as a cleaning tool and the act of cleaning. In current use it is a noun and verb meaning "a small piece of absorbent material used for cleaning or taking samples". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- Materials & Substances

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