glob

English

Etymology

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Possibly a blend of blob +‎ gob or a clipping of globule. An element of sound symbolism is clearly involved: compare such phonetically and semantically similar words as glop, gop, blob, clump and clod. (Still, globe, clump and clod may be related via the Proto-Indo-European root *gel-; compare clew.)

In the programming sense, originates from the early (c. 1970) Unix command glob; short for global.

In the biological sense, proposed by Bevil R. Conway and Doris Y. Tsao, by analogy with the cytochrome-oxidase "blobs" of V1, an earlier stage in the hierarchical elaboration of colour. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ɡlɑb/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɡlɒb/
• Rhymes: -ɑb, -ɒb

Noun

glob (plural globs)

1. A round, shapeless or amorphous lump, as of a semisolid substance.

   He put a glob of paint into the cup and went on painting.

2. (programming) A limited pattern matching technique using wildcards, less powerful than a regular expression.
3. (biology) A millimeter-sized colour module found beyond the visual area V2 in the brain's parvocellular pathway.

See also

• Glob (programming) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Verb

glob (third-person singular simple present globs, present participle globbing, simple past and past participle globbed)

1. To stick in globs or lumps.

   Paint was globbing off the wall.

2. (programming) To carry out pattern matching using a glob.

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “glob”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• Blog, GLBO, LGBO, blog

Polish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin globus. Doublet of gleba and globus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡlɔp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔp
• Syllabification: glob

Noun

glob m inan

1. planet, globe

   Synonym: ziemia

Declension

Declension of glob

	singular	plural
nominative	glob	globy
genitive	globu	globów
dative	globowi	globom
accusative	glob	globy
instrumental	globem	globami
locative	globie	globach
vocative	globie	globy

Further reading

• glob in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• glob in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French globe, from Latin globus.

Noun

glob n (plural globuri)

1. globe (all senses)

Declension

Declension of glob

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) glob	globul	(niște) globuri	globurile
genitive/dative	(unui) glob	globului	(unor) globuri	globurilor
vocative	globule		globurilor

Swedish

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

glob c

1. a globe

Declension

Declension of glob
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	glob	globen	glober	globerna
Genitive	globs	globens	globers	globernas

Related terms

• global
• jordglob
• Globen = Stockholm Globe Arena