jabot

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablespecialist

   A frill of lace or cloth that falls down the front of a shirt or at the neck of a blouse.

   Grammar: Usually described by its material: a lace jabot.

   Patterns

   • a jabot of lace
   • wear a jabot

   The portrait shows a gentleman with a white lace jabot at his throat.

   She pinned a silk jabot to the front of her blouse.

   Some judges still wear a jabot with their robes.

2. 2nouncountablebiologyrare

   A pouch in a bird's throat where it keeps food before digesting it, also called a crop.

   Grammar: A rare, technical use in French and some zoology texts.

   Patterns

   • the jabot of a bird

   The pigeon stored seeds in its jabot.

   The student drew the bird's jabot for the biology project.

   Parent birds carry food home in their jabot.

Word forms

Common combinations

lace jabot

The actor wore a lace jabot for the eighteenth-century play.

ruffled jabot

Her ruffled jabot trembled as she laughed.

silk jabot

A silk jabot added elegance to the plain dress.

jabot collar

A jabot collar softened the formal uniform.

pin a jabot

She pinned a jabot to her blouse before the ceremony.

Synonyms and how they differ

frill

Frill is the general word for any decorative gathered edge, while jabot names a ruffle at the front of a neckline.

ruffle

Ruffle describes the gathered effect of cloth anywhere on a garment, but jabot sits only at the chest.

cravat

Cravat is a neck cloth tied around the neck, unlike a jabot, which hangs loose down the front.

ruff

Ruff is a stiff pleated collar worn around the neck in the sixteenth century, which is more rigid than a jabot.

Word family

jabots noun

the plural form

jabotted adjective

wearing a jabot (rare)

Commonly confused: jabot or jab?

Practice

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