tab

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small projecting flap or label; also a running bill or account

   He kept a tab open at the bar and settled it at midnight.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Tab appeared in late Middle English for a small flap or strip and is of unknown origin, though it may be related to tag. In late 19th-century American English it developed the sense “account” or “bill,” also reflected in keep tabs on, meaning to monitor regularly.

Origin uncertain; perhaps a dialectal variant of tag, or related to tab in the sense of a small projecting piece. The 'bill/account' sense is American, of obscure origin.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary