A bib is a

garment Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

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 ...

. In addition some adults wear a bib when they are eating some messy foods, like tomato spagheti or lobster. A bib may also refer to the part of a garment that covers the chest, a garment that used by a team to identify themselves on the field of play, 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 that is worn over other clothing to cover the front of the body. The word comes from old French ''napron'' meaning a small piece of cloth, however over time "a napron" became "an apron", through a linguistics process cal ...

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, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, 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". Overalls were ...

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 ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the ...

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

netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

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

Medical

Paper bibs are also commonly used in dentist offices to protect the patient's clothing during checkups and cleanings. Another medical use is during an x-ray, a

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

bib can be put over a patient to prevent the radiation from reaching parts other than the part of the body being tested

For adults

Some adults wear a bib at every meal but most people don't. Most adults wear a bib when they are eating messy foods like tomato spaghetti or lobster or crab.

References

External links

{{wiktionary
EtymologyOnLine
Safety clothing Children's clothing Aprons