stab  (st ăb)
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v. stabbed, stab·bing, stabs v.tr.1. To pierce or wound with or as if with a pointed weapon. 2. To plunge (a pointed weapon or instrument) into something. 3. To make a thrusting or poking motion at or into: stabbed the air with his fingers. v.intr.1. To thrust with or as if with a pointed weapon: stabbed at the food with her fork. 2. To inflict a wound with or as if with a pointed weapon. n.1. A thrust with a pointed weapon or instrument. 2. A wound inflicted with or as if with a pointed weapon. 3. A sudden piercing pain. 4. An attempt; a try: made a stab at the answer. Idiom: stab (someone) in the back To harm (someone) by treachery or betrayal of trust.
[Middle English stabben.]
stabber n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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