What does bibcock mean?
A bibcock is a type of tap or faucet distinguished by its downward-curved outlet, designed so water pours cleanly into a sink, trough, bucket, or attached hose. The name combines 'bib' — an older word for a drinking spout — with 'cock', the traditional plumbing term for a valve. Bibcocks are commonly mounted on exterior walls, laundry cisterns, and utility sinks, where their angled nozzles make them convenient for filling containers or connecting hoses; many are threaded to take a standard hose fitting. In everyday conversation most people simply say 'tap' or 'faucet', so 'bibcock' belongs mainly to the vocabulary of plumbers, builders, and hardware catalogs. It carries no emotional connotation — it is a plain, practical trade term — but knowing it is genuinely useful when reading plumbing specifications, ordering fittings, or describing exactly which kind of outlet a property has.
nounA faucet or tap fitted with a downward-bent nozzle, typically mounted on a pipe or cistern so that water flows into a basin or container.
- A tap with a bent-down nozzle, usually threaded for attaching a hose, used to draw water from a pipe or cistern.
"The plumber replaced the corroded bibcock above the utility sink."
"He connected the garden hose to the bibcock on the side of the house."
"The old cast-iron bibcock over the laundry trough had been dripping for years."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple taps, e.g. across a building or product range.
"All the external bibcocks were drained before the frost arrived."
That humble outdoor tap has a name going back centuries: the 'bib' is the spout you drink from — the same word that gave us 'bib' at the dinner table — and the 'cock' is just the old plumbing term for any valve.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bibcock
The word is formed from two English elements: 'bib', an old term for the spout of a jug from which one drinks (the same word behind the cloth 'bib'), and 'cock', the long-standing plumber's name for a valve or tap. Compound terms of this kind were common in early modern English plumbing vocabulary, alongside relatives such as 'stopcock' and 'petcock'. The word has been part of British technical usage since at least the nineteenth century and remains standard in plumbing trade language on both sides of the Atlantic.
How bibcock is actually used
Chiefly a technical and trade term used by plumbers and hardware suppliers; in everyday speech most speakers would simply say 'tap', 'outside tap', or 'faucet'. The word is more common in British usage, though it appears in American plumbing catalogs as well.
Easily confused with bibcock
A stopcock is a valve that merely shuts off flow within a pipe, whereas a bibcock is an outlet tap with a bent nozzle from which water is actually drawn.