Generic text expansion tool in Linux?

Is there a generic text expansion tool in Linux? I have to type some same strings frequently and I want to use abbreviation to type faster. For example, I type a lot "symbol testapp/testapp.debug" in gdb. I want to create a shortcut "symdbg", so that when I hit TAB, that string will be replaced with "symbol testapp/testapp.debug". I hope the tool can be generic so I can do it anywhere like terminal/browser/editors. Edit: I'm using Ubuntu with xmonad, fish shell in urxvt terminal. But tools for other environment are good to know!