Dabab
/ˈdæbæb/noun
An obsolete siege engine, especially a covered structure or movable shelter used to approach fortified walls.
Did you know?The Arabic word behind dabab, dabbāba, later became the ordinary Arabic word for a tank, linking an ancient wall-crawling siege machine with modern armored warfare.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*d-b-b
“To move slowly, creep, or crawl”
Classical Arabic
Arabic
dabba
“He crept, crawled, or moved slowly”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
dabbāba
“A creeping object; specifically, a covered siege machine used to approach fortifications”
Medieval Period
Arabic
dabbābah
“A movable protective shelter or siege engine”
16th–17th Century
English
dabab
“A siege engine or covered military structure”
Modern English
English
dabab
“An obsolete or historical term for a siege engine”