Daub
/dɔːb/noun
To smear or coat a surface with a substance, often roughly or thickly.
Did you know?In older English, related forms also described covering walls with clay or plaster, showing how everyday building language grew out of the same tactile act of smearing by hand.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*dūbōną
“to dab, smear, or apply a soft substance”
Old French
OF
dauber
“to plaster, coat, or whitewash”
Middle English
ME
dauben
“to smear with clay, plaster, or mud”
15th Century
English
daub
“to smear or cover roughly with a soft substance”
Modern English
English
daub
“to apply paint, mud, or another substance in a rough or unskillful way”