What is "cob"

Cob \Cob\, n. [Cf. AS. cop, copp, head, top, D. kop, G. kopf, kuppe, LL. cuppa cup (cf. E. brainpan), and also W. cob tuft, spider, cop, copa, top, summit, cobio to thump. Cf. Cop top, Cup, n.]

1. The top or head of anything. [Obs.]
   --W. Gifford.

2. A leader or chief; a conspicuous person, esp. a rich covetous person. [Obs.]

   All cobbing country chuffs, which make their bellies and their bags their god, are called rich cobs.
   --Nash.

3. The axis on which the kernels of maize or indian corn grow. [U. S.]

4. (Zo["o]l.) A spider; perhaps from its shape; it being round like a head.

5. (Zo["o]l.) A young herring.
   --B. Jonson.

6. (Zo["o]l.) A fish; -- also called miller's thumb.

7. A short-legged and stout horse, esp. one used for the saddle. [Eng.]

8. (Zo["o]l.) A sea mew or gull; esp., the black-backed gull ( Larus marinus). [Written also cobb.]

9. A lump or piece of anything, usually of a somewhat large size, as of coal, or stone.

10. A cobnut; as, Kentish cobs. See Cobnut. [Eng.]

11. Clay mixed with straw. [Prov. Eng.]

    The poor cottager contenteth himself with cob for his walls, and thatch for his covering.
    --R. Carew.

12. A punishment consisting of blows inflictod on tho buttocas with a strap or a flat piece of wood.
    --Wright.

13. A Spanish coin formerly current in Ireland, worth abiut 4s. 6d. [Obs.]
    --Wright.

    Cob coal, coal in rounded lumps from the size of an egg to that of a football; -- called also cobbles.
    --Grose.

    Cob loaf, a crusty, uneven loaf, rounded at top.
    --Wright.

    Cob money, a kind of rudely coined gold and silver money of Spanish South America in the eighteenth century. The coins were of the weight of the piece of eight, or one of its aliquot parts.

Cob \Cob\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cobbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Cobbing.]

1. To strike [Prov. Eng.]
   --Halliwell.

2. (Mining) To break into small pieces, as ore, so as to sort out its better portions.
   --Raymond.

3. (Naut.) To punish by striking on the buttocks with a strap, a flat piece of wood, or the like.

a word or set of identical words with a wide range of meanings, many seeming to derive from notions of "heap, lump, rounded object," also "head" and its metaphoric extensions. With cognates in other Germanic languages; of uncertain origin and development. "The N.E.D. recognizes eight nouns cob, with numerous sub-groups. Like other monosyllables common in the dial[ect] its hist[ory] is inextricable" [Weekley]. In the 2nd print edition, the number stands at 11. Some senses are probably from Old English copp "top, head," others probably from Old Norse kubbi or Low German, all perhaps from a Proto-Germanic base *kubb- "something rounded." Among the earliest attested English senses are "headman, chief," and "male swan," both early 15c., but the surname Cobb (1066) suggests Old English used a form of the word as a nickname for "big, leading man." The "corn shoot" sense is attested by 1680s.

n. (context lang=en US military) (initialism of lang=en contingency operating base)

1. n. nut of any of several trees of the genus Corylus [syn: hazelnut, filbert, cobnut]

2. stocky short-legged harness horse

3. white gull having a black back and wings [syn: black-backed gull, great black-backed gull, Larus marinus]

4. adult male swan

Cob or cobb may refer to:

Cob, cobb or clom (in Wales) is a natural building material made from subsoil, water, some kind of fibrous organic material (typically straw), and sometimes lime. The contents of subsoil naturally varies and if it does not contain the right mixture it can be modified with sand or clay. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and inexpensive. It can be used to create artistic, sculptural forms and has been revived in recent years by the natural building and sustainability movements.

In technical building and engineering documents such as the Uniform Building Code, cob may be referred to as an "unburned clay masonry" when used in a structural context. It might also be referred to as an "aggregate" in non-structural contexts, such as a "clay and sand aggregate" or more simply an "organic aggregate," such as where the cob is an insulating filler between post and beam construction.

A cob is a small horse, usually of a stout build, with strong bones, large joints, and steady disposition; it is a body type of horse rather than a specific breed. Historically, in the United Kingdom and, to a lesser extent, the eastern United States, a 'cob' may be a common horse used for everyday riding.

The term continues to be widely used to describe this type of horse in the United Kingdom, but less so in North America. In the United States, the term "cob" is primarily used to describe the Welsh cob, and in the sizing of bridles for horses, designating a smaller size that will fit not only the Welsh cob, but also many Morgans, Arabians, some American Quarter Horses, and other horses with short, triangular-shaped heads.