WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
dob•by
(dob′ē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -bies.
- British Termsa fatuous person;
fool. - Textiles
- an attachment on a loom, used in weaving small patterns.
- Also called dob′by weave′. a small geometric or floral pattern produced by this attachment.
- a fabric having such a pattern.
- 1685–95; akin to dialect, dialectal dovie stupid, imbecile, derivative of dove to doze, dote, Old English dofian, dobian; cognate with German toben to rage; compare Old English dobende decrepit
'dobby' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):