daub

[ dawb ]

verb (used with object)

1. to cover or coat with soft, adhesive matter, as plaster or mud:

   to daub a canvas with paint; to daub stone walls with mud.

2. to spread (plaster, mud, etc.) on or over something:

   to daub plaster on a brick wall.

3. to smear, soil, or defile.
4. to apply, as paint or colors, unskillfully.

verb (used without object)

1. to daub something.
2. to paint unskillfully.

noun

1. material, especially of an inferior kind, for daubing walls.
2. something daubed on.
3. an act of daubing.
4. a crude, inartistic painting.

daub

/ dɔːb /

verb

1. tr to smear or spread (paint, mud, etc), esp carelessly
2. tr to cover or coat (with paint, plaster, etc) carelessly
3. to paint (a picture) clumsily or badly

noun

1. an unskilful or crude painting
2. something daubed on, esp as a wall covering See also wattle and daub
3. a smear (of paint, mud, etc)
4. the act of daubing

Derived Forms

• ˈdauber, noun
• ˈdauby, adjective

Other Words From

• dauber noun
• daubing·ly adverb
• dauby adjective
• un·daubed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of daub¹

1275–1325; (v.) Middle English dauben < Anglo-French, Old French dauber to whiten, paint < Latin dealbāre, equivalent to de-, prevocalic variant of dē- de- + albāre to whiten, derivative of albus white; (noun) late Middle English, derivative of the v.

Word History and Origins

Origin of daub¹

C14: from Old French dauber to paint, whitewash, from Latin dealbāre, from albāre to whiten, from albus white

Example Sentences

With the campaign heading into the homestretch, Gluesenkamp Perez recently embarked on a RV tour of the 3rd Congressional District, down twisting two-lane roads, past farmland and forests daubed with red, yellow and orange.

From Los Angeles Times

Not far from the centre of Tbilisi, Vano Chkhikvadze points to graffiti daubed in red on the walls and ground outside his office at the Civil Society Foundation.

From BBC

Theatre news outlet The Stage reported that one of the points of contention was "free Palestine" being daubed on the set as well as featuring in a rap.

From BBC

In Barcelona, demonstrators fired at foreign visitors with water pistols and among the slogans daubed on their banners were: “Tourism kills the city” and “Tourists go home.”

From BBC

Racist graffiti was also daubed on the walls.

From BBC

Related Words

• dab
• deface
• smear
• smudge
• spatter