"tribble" meaning in English

See tribble in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈtɹɪbl̩/ [US] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tribble.wav [Southern-England] Forms: tribbles [plural]
Rhymes: -ɪbəl Etymology: Unknown. The Century Dictionary suggests possibly a corruption of cribble (“sieve”). Etymology templates: {{unk|en}} Unknown, {{m|en|cribble|t=sieve}} cribble (“sieve”) Head templates: {{en-noun}} tribble (plural tribbles)
  1. A horizontal frame with wires stretched across it for drying paper. Synonyms: treble
    Sense id: en-tribble-en-noun-LoaeOZN6 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 60 40 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 71 29
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Noun

IPA: /ˈtɹɪbl̩/ [US] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tribble.wav [Southern-England] Forms: tribbles [plural]
Rhymes: -ɪbəl Etymology: Probably invented for alliteration with trouble; the creatures first appeared in an episode called "The Trouble with Tribbles". Etymology templates: {{m|en|trouble}} trouble Head templates: {{en-noun}} tribble (plural tribbles)
  1. A fictional alien creature in Star Trek, a fast-breeding, cooing ball of fur. Categories (topical): Celestial inhabitants, Fictional characters, Star Trek
    Sense id: en-tribble-en-noun--rBikCEa Disambiguation of Celestial inhabitants: 10 90 Disambiguation of Fictional characters: 12 88 Disambiguation of Star Trek: 3 97
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

Download JSON data for tribble meaning in English (5.2kB)

{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown",
      "name": "unk"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cribble",
        "t": "sieve"
      },
      "expansion": "cribble (“sieve”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Unknown. The Century Dictionary suggests possibly a corruption of cribble (“sieve”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tribbles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tribble (plural tribbles)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "60 40",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "71 29",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A horizontal frame with wires stretched across it for drying paper."
      ],
      "id": "en-tribble-en-noun-LoaeOZN6",
      "links": [
        [
          "horizontal",
          "horizontal"
        ],
        [
          "frame",
          "frame"
        ],
        [
          "wire",
          "wire"
        ],
        [
          "paper",
          "paper"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "treble"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹɪbl̩/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪbəl"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tribble.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tribble"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "trouble"
      },
      "expansion": "trouble",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Probably invented for alliteration with trouble; the creatures first appeared in an episode called \"The Trouble with Tribbles\".",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tribbles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tribble (plural tribbles)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "10 90",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Celestial inhabitants",
          "orig": "en:Celestial inhabitants",
          "parents": [
            "Demonyms",
            "Fictional characters",
            "Science fiction",
            "Names",
            "People",
            "Fiction",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "All topics",
            "Proper nouns",
            "Terms by semantic function",
            "Human",
            "Artistic works",
            "Genres",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nouns",
            "Art",
            "Entertainment",
            "Lemmas",
            "Culture",
            "Society"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "12 88",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Fictional characters",
          "orig": "en:Fictional characters",
          "parents": [
            "Fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 97",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Star Trek",
          "orig": "en:Star Trek",
          "parents": [
            "American fiction",
            "Film",
            "Science fiction",
            "Television",
            "Fiction",
            "United States",
            "Entertainment",
            "Mass media",
            "Speculative fiction",
            "Broadcasting",
            "Artistic works",
            "North America",
            "Culture",
            "Media",
            "Genres",
            "Telecommunications",
            "Art",
            "America",
            "Society",
            "Communication",
            "Technology",
            "Earth",
            "All topics",
            "Nature",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1998, William A. Sethares, Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale, page 49",
          "text": "Scales have proliferated like tribbles in quadra-triticale: just intonations, equal temperaments, scales based on overtones, scales generated from a single interval or pair of intervals, scales without octaves, scales arising from arcane mathematical formulas, scales that reflect cosmological or religious structures, scales that \"come from the heart.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Robin C. Whittaker, editor, Hot Thespian Action!, page 569",
          "text": "The Hyper-Producing Playwrights of Edmondton: Or Why Alberta’s Capital Breeds New Plays Like Tribbles.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Dakota Cassidy, chapter 19, in Accidentally Demonic",
          "text": "They were like tribbles, multiplying by the dozens, cackling, giggling their maniacal joy at the game.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015, Zanzibar 7. Schwarzenegger, Veneri Verbum, page 19",
          "text": "They breed like tribbles, but at least they’re not terrestrial.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A fictional alien creature in Star Trek, a fast-breeding, cooing ball of fur."
      ],
      "id": "en-tribble-en-noun--rBikCEa",
      "links": [
        [
          "fictional",
          "fictional"
        ],
        [
          "alien",
          "alien"
        ],
        [
          "coo",
          "coo"
        ],
        [
          "ball",
          "ball"
        ],
        [
          "fur",
          "fur"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹɪbl̩/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪbəl"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tribble.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tribble"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Star Trek",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with unknown etymologies",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪbəl",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪbəl/2 syllables",
    "en:Celestial inhabitants",
    "en:Fictional characters",
    "en:Star Trek"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "expansion": "Unknown",
      "name": "unk"
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        "2": "cribble",
        "t": "sieve"
      },
      "expansion": "cribble (“sieve”)",
      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Unknown. The Century Dictionary suggests possibly a corruption of cribble (“sieve”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tribbles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tribble (plural tribbles)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A horizontal frame with wires stretched across it for drying paper."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "horizontal",
          "horizontal"
        ],
        [
          "frame",
          "frame"
        ],
        [
          "wire",
          "wire"
        ],
        [
          "paper",
          "paper"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹɪbl̩/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪbəl"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tribble.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav.mp3",
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      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "treble"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tribble"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms derived from Star Trek",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪbəl",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪbəl/2 syllables",
    "en:Celestial inhabitants",
    "en:Fictional characters",
    "en:Star Trek"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
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        "2": "trouble"
      },
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      "name": "m"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Probably invented for alliteration with trouble; the creatures first appeared in an episode called \"The Trouble with Tribbles\".",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tribbles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "tribble (plural tribbles)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1998, William A. Sethares, Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale, page 49",
          "text": "Scales have proliferated like tribbles in quadra-triticale: just intonations, equal temperaments, scales based on overtones, scales generated from a single interval or pair of intervals, scales without octaves, scales arising from arcane mathematical formulas, scales that reflect cosmological or religious structures, scales that \"come from the heart.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2008, Robin C. Whittaker, editor, Hot Thespian Action!, page 569",
          "text": "The Hyper-Producing Playwrights of Edmondton: Or Why Alberta’s Capital Breeds New Plays Like Tribbles.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Dakota Cassidy, chapter 19, in Accidentally Demonic",
          "text": "They were like tribbles, multiplying by the dozens, cackling, giggling their maniacal joy at the game.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2015, Zanzibar 7. Schwarzenegger, Veneri Verbum, page 19",
          "text": "They breed like tribbles, but at least they’re not terrestrial.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A fictional alien creature in Star Trek, a fast-breeding, cooing ball of fur."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "fictional",
          "fictional"
        ],
        [
          "alien",
          "alien"
        ],
        [
          "coo",
          "coo"
        ],
        [
          "ball",
          "ball"
        ],
        [
          "fur",
          "fur"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈtɹɪbl̩/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪbəl"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-tribble.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/1/19/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-tribble.wav.mp3",
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      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (Southern England)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tribble"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.