Etymology Dictionary

TABBY,  a kind of waved silk.  (F.,—Span.,—Arab.)   Chiefly retained in the expression 'a tabby cat,' i.e. a cat brindled or diversified in colour, like the markings on tabby.   'Tabby, a kind of waved silk;'  Phillips, ed. 1706.—F. tabis, in use in the 15th century (Littré).—Span. tabi, a silken stuff; Low Lat. (or rather O. Span.) attabi, where at was supposed (but wrongly) to represent the Arab. article al, and so came to be dropped.—Arab. ‛utábí, a kind of rich undulated silk; Rich. Dict. p. 992.   See De Vic, who calls it an Arab. word (Rich. marks it Pers.).   He adds that it was the name of a quarter of Bagdad where this silk was made (Defrémery, Journal Asiatique, Jan. 1862, p. 94); and that this quarter took its name from prince Attab, great-grandson of Omeyya (Dozy, Gloss. p. 343.)   ¶ Hence perhaps tabi-net, spelt tabbinet in Webster, and explained as 'a more delicate kind of tabby;' but Trench, Eng. Past and Present, tells us that it was named from M. Tabinet, a French Protestant refugee, who introduced the making of tabinet in Dublin; for which statement he adduces no reference or authority.