cob

Meanings

1. A corncob.
2. The seed-bearing head of a plant.
3. Clipping of cobnut.
4. A male swan.
5. A gull, especially the black-backed gull (Larus marinus); also spelled cobb.
6. A lump or piece of anything, usually of a somewhat large size, as of coal, stone, or excrement.
7. A round, often crusty roll or loaf of bread.
8. A building material consisting of clay, sand, straw, water, and earth, similar to adobe; also called cobb, rammed earth or pisé.
9. A horse having a stout body and short legs.
10. Any of the gold and silver coins that were minted in the Spanish Empire and valued in reales or escudos, such as the piece of eight—especially those which were crudely struck and irregularly shaped.
11. One who is eminent, great, large, or rich.
12. A spider (cf. cobweb).

1. To construct using mud blocks or to seal a wall using mud or an artificial equivalent.
2. To have the heads mature into corncobs.
3. To remove the kernels from a corncob.
4. To thresh.
5. To break up ground with a hoe.

1. To beat with a flat instrument; to paddle.
2. To throw, chuck, lob.
3. To chip off unwanted pieces of stone, so as to form a desired shape or improve the quality of mineral ore.

1. A punishment consisting of blows inflicted on the buttocks with a strap or a flat piece of wood.

1. Abbreviation of cobble.
2. Alternative form of COB.

1. Initialism of contingency operating base.
2. Acronym of chief of boat.
3. Initialism of close of business; the end of day on a business day.
4. Initialism of centre of buoyancy
5. Initialism of coordination of benefits
6. Initialism of chairman of the board
7. Initialism of chip on board (an LED module or integrated circuit bonded to a circuit board)

1. Clive's Original Band, band started by Clive Palmer after he left The Incredible String Band.
2. Abbreviation of Cobourg.

1. Initialism of centre of buoyancy.

Etymology

Of uncertain origin. The word has many disparate senses, which are likely of diverse origin. The specifics of these origins have long been debated, as has the question of which senses arise from which origins. At least the swan sense originated in Middle English cobbe (“male swan; gang leader; bully”). Some other senses likely originated as a variant of cop (“head, top, peak, summit”). In other senses, the word may be related to cub, itself of obscure origin but possibly from Old Norse kobbi (“seal”). However, many alternative etymologies have been proposed to account for some or all senses of cob; various sources have related it, for example, to English cot (“cottage”), Welsh cob (“top, tuft”), or German Kübel (“large container”). All these etymologies are disputed, and the exact origins of cob cannot be known with any certainty.