in Roman antiquity, were immodest women, who came from Syria to Rome, where they lived by prostitution, and by playing on the flute: the word is derived from the Syriac abub, which signifies a flute; although others make it to come from am and Baiae, because these prostitutes often retired to Baiae. According to Cruquius, these women used likewise to sell paint for ornamenting the face, &c.