swabful

English

Etymology

swab +‎ -ful

Noun

swabful (plural swabfuls)

1. As much as a swab holds.
   • 1902 June 1, “Spraying”, in Woodland & Roadside, volume 1, number 2, page 3:

     The caterpillars may be trapped in their tents in early morning or late afternoon and extinguished with a swabful of kerosene.

   • 1915, Edwin George Lutz, Practical Drawing, page 232:

     Go over the paper which has been laid down on a board or table top, several times with a swabful of the solution.

   • 1971, Infection and Immunity - Volume 3, page 412:

     A swabful of each mixture was smeared onto MacConkey Agar plates containing a single appropriate antibiotic and 250 μg of sodium azide per ml.

   • 2004, Sam North, The Unnumbered, page 63:

     […] swabfuls of blood and threw them on the floor like he was trying to stem the Niagara Falls.