Swab
/swɒb/noun
A mop, absorbent cleaning pad, or a cotton-tipped applicator; also, to clean or apply with one.
Did you know?The word entered English through nautical slang, where a swab was first a mop used on ship decks, and only later did it become the everyday cleaning tool we know now.
Etymological Timeline
14th–15th Century
Middle Dutch/Low German
swabbe / swabbe
“A mop or bundle of cloth used for wiping or washing”
16th Century
English
swab
“A mop or cleaning implement, especially aboard ships”
17th Century
English
swab
“To mop or wipe with a swab”
19th Century
English
swab
“A cotton-tipped applicator or specimen-collecting stick”
Modern English
English
swab
“A mop, absorbent pad, or cotton applicator; also the act of cleaning or sampling with one”