/ta.ba/
tobacco (any plant of the genus Nicotiana); tobacco (leaves of certain varieties of the plant cultivated and harvested); smoking, nicotine addiction; tobacconist (shop where tobacco is sold); corner shop
“des plantations de tabac” — tobacco plantations
Synonyms: bureau de tabac, débit de tabac, épicerie
Borrowed from Spanish tabaco.
having the color of tobacco
“Voyez quel air martial respire ce vénérable membre de la Garde nationale! Avec son habit tabac, son sabre et sa giberne en bandoulière, son fusil sur l'épaule […] il va affronter les ennemis […] de la tranquillité publique.” — See what martial air this venerable member of the National Guard breathes! With his tobacco-coloured coat, his sword and his pouch on a bandolier, his gun on his shoulder […] he will face the enemies […] of public peace.
Borrowed from Spanish tabaco.
violent fight
“Il va y avoir du tabac ce soir !” — There's going to be a fight tonight!
Related: coup de tabac, faire un tabac, passage à tabac, passer à tabac, tabassage, tabassée, tabasser
Deverbal from tabasser. The expected spelling is *tabas (compare tracas from tracasser, fracas from fracasser); the -ac spelling is due to the influence of the above noun tabac (“tobacco”).