swab

Noun · Verb

Synonyms: swob mop dab

WordNet 3.0

Noun (2)

implement consisting of a small piece of cotton that is used to apply medication or cleanse a wound or obtain a specimen of a secretion
cleaning implement consisting of absorbent material fastened to a handle; for cleaning floorsSynonyms: swob mop

Verb (2)

wash with a swab or a mop“swab the ship's decks”Synonyms: swob
apply (usually a liquid) to a surface“dab the wall with paint”Synonyms: dab swob

Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Swab \Swab\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Swabbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Swabbing.] [See Swabber, n.] To clean with a mop or swab; to wipe when very wet, as after washing; as, to swab the desk of a ship. [Spelt also swob.] [1913 Webster]

Swab \Swab\, n. [Written also swob.]

1.A kind of mop for cleaning floors, the desks of vessels, etc., esp. one made of rope-yarns or threads. [1913 Webster]

2.A bit of sponge, cloth, or the like, fastened to a handle, for cleansing the mouth of a sick person, applying medicaments to deep-seated parts, etc. [1913 Webster]

3.(Naut.) An epaulet. [Sailor's Slang] --Marryat. [1913 Webster]

4.A cod, or pod, as of beans or pease. [Obs.] --Bailey. [1913 Webster]

5.A sponge, or other suitable substance, attached to a long rod or handle, for cleaning the bore of a firearm. [1913 Webster]

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing

swab

/swob/ The PDP-11 swap byte instruction mnemonic, as immortalised in the dd option "conv=swab".

1.To solve the NUXI problem by swapping bytes in a file.

2.The program in V7 Unix used to perform this action, or anything functionally equivalent to it.

The Jargon File

swab /swob/

[From the mnemonic for the PDP-11 ‘SWAp Byte’ instruction, as immortalized in the dd(1) option conv=swab (see dd)]

1.vt. To solve the NUXI problem by swapping bytes in a file

2.n. The program in V7 Unix used to perform this action, or anything functionally equivalent to it. See also big-endian, little-endian, middle-endian, bytesexual.