1
a tabby
名词用法：指虎斑猫，也可指母猫；复数形式为 tabbies。
A tabby was curled up on the sofa.
一只虎斑猫蜷缩在沙发上。
虎斑猫
先理解核心含义，再看它在真实句子里的用法。
虎斑猫
a cat with a grey or tawny coat mottled with black
A tabby was curled up on the sofa.
一只虎斑猫蜷缩在沙发上。
波纹绸；平纹绸(有波纹的丝绸)
A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
一种由石灰与贝壳、砾石或石头按等比例混合,再加等量水制成的混凝土。干燥后坚硬如岩石
A concrete mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry, this becomes as hard as rock.
斑猫；虎斑猫
A brindled cat.
The tabby curled up on the sofa and fell asleep.
那只虎斑猫在沙发上蜷成一团睡着了。
Our tabby loves chasing the red laser dot around the living room.
我们的虎斑猫喜欢在客厅里追着红色激光点跑。
I saw three tabbies waiting by the back door for their dinner.
我看见三只虎斑猫在后门等着吃晚饭。
名词用法：指虎斑猫，也可指母猫；复数形式为 tabbies。
A tabby was curled up on the sofa.
一只虎斑猫蜷缩在沙发上。
动词用法：tabby 是及物动词，意思是“使（织物）起波纹”，常用于纺织语境。
The weaver tabbies the silk to give it a watered look.
织布工使丝绸起波纹，以产生水纹光泽。
形容词用法：tabby 作形容词时放在名词前，表示“平纹组织的”或“起波纹的”。
The curtains are made of tabby fabric.
窗帘是用平纹织物做的。
Not this
There are three tabbys in the yard.
Use this
There are three tabbies in the yard.
tabby 以辅音字母 y 结尾，复数应把 y 改为 ies，而不是直接加 s，所以复数形式是 tabbies，不是 tabbys。
Not this
My cat is tabby.
Use this
My cat is a tabby.
tabby 在这个义项中是名词，指虎斑猫；作表语时要用可数名词单数 a tabby，不能把它当作形容词来表示“虎斑的”。中文的“我的猫是虎斑”直译容易造成这种词性误用。
Focus on the distinctions below. Other candidates are kept compact until a reliable usage note is available.
虎斑猫
The tabby cat slept all afternoon on the porch.
那只虎斑猫在门廊上睡了一下午。
橘色虎斑猫
Our orange tabby is always hungry.
我们的橘色虎斑猫总是很饿。
灰色虎斑猫
A grey tabby was curled up on the chair.
一只灰色虎斑猫蜷缩在椅子上。
虎斑小猫
The tabby kitten followed me home.
那只虎斑小猫跟着我回了家。
虎斑花纹
This breed often has a beautiful tabby pattern.
这个品种通常有漂亮的虎斑花纹。
一只虎斑猫站在女贞路拐角处。
From the opening of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: the cat is actually Professor McGonagall in Animagus form.
这句话出自《哈利·波特与魔法石》开头：那只猫其实是麦格教授的阿尼玛格斯形态。
Use tabby naturally, then get feedback on meaning, tone, grammar, and phrasing.
Revisit a common error or keep this word in your review list.
记法：把 tabby 想成‘泰比’——一只穿着平纹条纹外套的虎斑猫，花纹像织布一样整齐。
语域：neutral 常见场景：日常宠物话题、猫咪毛色描述、口语对话 tabby 作名词时多指虎斑猫，常见于日常宠物对话和猫咪毛色描述；属于普通口语词，在正式书面语中不算典型。词典中也列有“母猫”一义，具体需结合上下文理解。
名词复数形式为 tabbies；动词第三人称单数 tabbies，现在分词 tabbying，过去式/过去分词 tabbied。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.