tabby \tab"by\ ta^b"by^, n.; pl. tabbies
   ta^b"bi^z. f. tabis cf. it. tab`i, sp.  pg.
   tab'i, ll. attabi, fr. ar. 'att=abimac, properly the
   name of a quarter of bagdad where it was made, the quarter
   being named from the prince attab, great grandson of omeyya.
   cf. tobine.
   1. a kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk,
      manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. the
      watering is given to it by calendering.
      1913 webster

   2. a mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal
      proportions, with an equal proportion of water. when dry,
      this becomes as hard as rock. --weale.
      1913 webster

   3. a brindled cat; hence, popularly, any cat.
      1913 webster

   4. an old maid or gossip. colloq. --byron.
      1913 webster
see also:
tabbies tobine watered silk