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dub 1 (dŭb)
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tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs
1. To tap lightly on the shoulder by way of conferring knighthood.
2. To honor with a new title or description.
3. To give a name to facetiously or playfully; nickname.
4. To strike, cut, or rub (timber or leather, for example) so as to make even or smooth.
5. To dress (a fowl).
6. To execute (a golf stroke, for example) poorly.
n.
An awkward person or player; a bungler.

[Middle English dubben, from Late Old English dubbian, from Anglo-Norman dubber, aphetic variant of Old French adouber : Old French a-, to (from Latin ad-) ; see ad- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + Frankish *dubban, to strike, dub.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
dub 2 (dŭb)
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v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs
v.tr.
1. To thrust at; poke.
2. To beat (a drum).
v.intr.
1. To make a thrust.
2. To beat on a drum.
n.
1. The act of dubbing.
2. A drumbeat.

[Perhaps from Low German dubben, to hit, strike.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
dub 3 (dŭb)
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tr.v. dubbed, dub·bing, dubs
1.
a. To transfer (recorded material) onto a new recording medium.
b. To copy (a record or tape).
2. To insert a new soundtrack, often a synchronized translation of the original dialogue, into (a film).
3. To add (sound) into a film or tape: dub in strings behind the vocal.
n.
1. The new sounds added by dubbing.
2. A dubbed copy of a tape or record.
3. A mostly instrumental style of music originating in Jamaica, produced by remixing existing recordings to emphasize drum and bass rhythms and adding audio effects.

[Short for DOUBLE.]

dubber n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
dub 4 (dŭb)
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n.
Scots
A puddle or small pool.

[Origin unknown.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. 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.