A bib is a

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

worn hanging from the neck on the chest to protect clothing from accidentally spilled food. Bibs are frequently used by young children, especially infants, but also by some adults. Bibs are also worn when consuming certain "messy" foods. In addition, bibs are used for infants when they drool a lot, for example when they are

teething Teething is the process by which an infant's first teeth (the deciduous teeth, often called "baby teeth" or "milk teeth") appear by emerging through the gums, typically arriving in pairs. The mandibular central incisors are the first primary te ...

. A bib may also refer to the part of a garment that covers the chest, a garment that is used by a team to identify themselves on a field of play, or a lead covering used to prevent X-ray radiation from reaching parts of the body not being X-rayed.

Etymology

The word, reported in English since 1580, probably stems from the verb bibben "to drink" (c.1380), from the Latin ''bibere'', either because it was worn while drinking or because it "soaked up" spills.bib. (n.d.) Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014. (1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014). Retrieved June 28 2016 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bib

Other uses

Part of garment

The term bib may also refer to the part of a garment that covers the chest. For instance, an

apron An apron is a garment worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body to protect from liquids. They have several purposes, most commonly as a functional accessory that protects clothes and skin from stains and marks. However, other typ ...

that covers the chest may be referred to as a bib apron. The part of a jumper dress or of a pair of

overalls Overalls or bib-and-brace overalls, also called dungarees in British English, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers ...

that covers the chest may also be referred to as a bib.

Sports

In sport, it may refer to a garment that used by a team to identify themselves on the field of play (a

jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

), or to identify a participant in a competition with a start number ("bib number"). In

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a rectangular court by two teams of seven players. The primary objective is to shoot a ball through the defender's goal ring while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own. It is one of a ...

, bibs are used by the umpire to identify players' positions so it can be determined who is within their allowed area.

Medical

Paper or plastic bibs are used by dentists to protect the patient's clothing during treatment. In

radiography Radiography is an imaging technology, imaging technique using X-rays, gamma rays, or similar ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation to view the internal form of an object. Applications of radiography include medical ("diagnostic" radiog ...

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

bibs protect patients from radiation in body parts other than those being scanned.

References

External links

{{wiktionary
EtymologyOnLine
Aprons Children's clothing Safety clothing