Dhab
/dæb/noun
A large desert lizard of the genus Uromastyx, also called a dabb or spiny-tailed lizard.
Did you know?In Arabic, the dhab or ḍabb has long been a culturally familiar desert animal, and traditional accounts describe it as remarkably well adapted to extreme heat and scarcity.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Arabic
Arabic
ضَبّ (ḍabb)
“A large desert lizard, especially a spiny-tailed lizard.”
Medieval Arabic
Arabic
دابّة (dābbah)
“A beast, animal, or creeping creature; related in form but not identical in meaning to ḍabb.”
18th–19th Century
English
dabb
“An English rendering of Arabic ḍabb for the desert spiny-tailed lizard.”
19th Century
English
dhab
“A variant English transliteration of Arabic ḍabb.”
Modern English
English
dhab
“A dictionary-recognized name for a spiny-tailed desert lizard, also spelled dabb.”