What does abb mean?
Abb is an obscure English noun denoting the wool that grows on the head and neck of a sheep — a part of the fleece that is typically coarser than the fine wool taken from the body. In traditional wool trading, different portions of the fleece were graded and named individually, and the abb occupied the low end of that scale because of its rougher texture. Separately, 'abb' appears in some dictionaries as a variant spelling of 'aba', a coarse, often sleeveless outer garment associated with the Middle East. Neither sense is common in contemporary English: the wool-trade term survives mainly in historical or specialist contexts, and the garment sense is properly spelled 'aba'. As a result, abb is best regarded as a rare lexical curiosity rather than a word in active everyday use.
The wool growing on the head and neck of a sheep, coarser than body fleece.
"The sorter set aside the abb before weighing the rest of the fleece."
Chiefly historical, used in the context of the traditional wool trade.
Variant spelling of 'aba': a coarse sleeveless outer garment.
"She drew her abb close against the evening chill."
Rare; usually written 'aba'.
Pluralizes regularly, but the plural is vanishingly rare given how uncommon the word itself is.
"The merchant's ledger recorded several sacks of abbs alongside the finer wools."
Before fleeces were shorn whole, wool merchants had a special name for just one patch of the sheep — the coarse wool on its head and neck: the abb.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
How abb is actually used
'Abb' is an obscure, chiefly technical or historical term found mainly in older wool-trade vocabulary; most modern readers will encounter it only in specialist dictionaries. Its use as a variant of 'aba' is likewise rare.
Easily confused with abb
An aba is a loose outer garment of Middle Eastern origin, while abb refers to the wool from a sheep's head and neck — though 'abb' is sometimes used as a variant spelling of 'aba'.