Definition of "tubby"

Grace bent to her oars with a springing verve and force which made the tubby little boat draw towards the shore, the whispering lapse of water gliding under its sides all the while.

1895, S. R. Crockett, A Cry Across the Black Water

The clerk vanished, to be replaced a minute later by a tubby Indian with exhausted, visionary eyes.

1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy