T (te), the twentieth letter of the English alphabet, is a nonvocal consonant. With the letter h it forms the digraph th, which has two distinct sounds, as in thin, then. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§262-264, and also §§153, 156, 169, 172, 176, 178-180. The letter derives its name and form from the Latin, the form of the Latin letter being further derived through the Greek from the Phœnician. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian. It is etymologically most nearly related to d, s, th; as in tug, duke; two, dual, L. duo; re sin, L. re sina, Gr. "rhti•nh, ten t, ten se, a., tenuous, thin; nos tril, thrill. See D, S. T bandage (Surg.), a bandage shaped like the letter T, and used principally for application to the groin, or perineum. — T cart, a kind of fashionable two seated wagon for pleasure driving. — T iron. (a) A rod with a short crosspiece at the end, — used as a hook. (b) Iron in bars, having a cross section formed like the letter T, — used in structures. — T rail, a kind of rail for railroad tracks, having no flange at the bottom so that a section resembles the letter T. — T square, a ruler having a crosspiece or head at one end, for the purpose of making parallel lines; — so called from its shape. It is laid on a drawing board and guided by the crosspiece, which is pressed against the straight edge of the board. Sometimes the head is arranged to be set at different angles. — To a T, exactly, perfectly; as to suit to a T. [Colloq.]
Taas, n. A heap. See Tas. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Tab, n. [Etymol. uncertain.]
1. The flap or latchet of a shoe fastened with a string or a buckle.
2. A tag. See Tag, 2.
3. A loop for pulling or lifting something.
4. A border of lace or other material, worn on the inner front edge of ladies’ bonnets.
5. A loose pendent part of a lady’s garment; esp., one of a series of pendent squares forming an edge or border.
Tabaret
Tab´a•ret, n. [Cf. Tabby.] A stout silk having satin stripes, — used for furniture.
Tabbinet
Tab´bi•net, n. [Cf. Tabby.] A fabric like poplin, with a watered surface. [Written also tabinet.]
Tabby
Tab´by, n. ; pl. Tabbies (#). [F. tabis (cf. It. tabì, Sp. & Pg. tabí, LL. attabi), fr. Ar. ’attabi, properly the name of a quarter of Bagdad where it was made, the quarter being named from the prince Attab, great grandson of Omeyya. Cf. Tobine.]
1. A kind of waved silk, usually called watered silk, manufactured like taffeta, but thicker and stronger. The watering is given to it by calendering.
2. A mixture of lime with shells, gravel, or stones, in equal proportions, with an equal proportion of water. When dry, this becomes as hard as rock. Weale.
3. A brindled cat; hence, popularly, any cat.
4. An old maid or gossip. [Colloq.] Byron.
Tabby
Tab´by, a.
1. Having a wavy or watered appearance; as a tabby waistcoat. Pepys.
2. Brindled; diversified in color; as a tabby cat. Tabby moth (Zoöl.), the grease moth. See under Grease.
Tabby
Tab´by, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tabbied p. pr. & vb. n. Tabbying ] To water; to cause to look wavy, by the process of calendering; to calender; as to tabby silk, mohair, ribbon, etc.
Tabefaction
Tab•e•fac´tion, n. [See Tabefy.] A wasting away; a gradual losing of flesh by disease.
Tabefy
Tab´e•fy, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tabefied p. pr. & vb. n. Tabefying ] [L. tabere to waste away + -fy: cf. L. tabefacere to melt.] To cause to waste gradually, to emaciate. [R.] Harvey.
Tabellion
Ta•bel´lion, n. [L. tabellio, fr. tabella a tablet, a writing, document, dim. of tabula a board: cf. F. tabellion. See Table.] A secretary or notary under the Roman empire; also a similar officer in France during the old monarchy.
Taber
Ta´ber, v. i. Same as Tabor. Nahum ii. 7.
Tabernacle
Tab´er•na•cle, n. [F., fr. L. tabernaculum, dim. of taberna nut. See Tabern.]
1. A slightly built or temporary habitation; especially, a tent.
"Dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob." Heb. xi. 9.
"Orange trees planted in the ground, and secured in winter with a wooden tabernacle and stoves." Evelyn.
2. (Jewish Antiq.) A portable structure of wooden framework covered with curtains, which was carried through the wilderness in the Israelitish exodus, as a place of sacrifice and worship. Ex. xxvi.
3. Hence, the Jewish temple; sometimes, any other place for worship. Acts xv. 16.
4. Figuratively: The human body, as the temporary abode of the soul.
"Shortly I must put off this my tabernacle." 2 Pet. i. 14.
5. Any small cell, or like place, in which some holy or precious things was deposited or kept. Specifically: — (a) The ornamental receptacle for the pyx, or for the consecrated elements, whether a part of a building or movable. (b) A niche for the image of a saint, or for any sacred painting or sculpture. (c) Hence, a work of art of sacred subject, having a partially architectural character, as a solid frame resting on a bracket, or the like. (d) A tryptich for sacred imagery. (e) A seat or stall in a choir, with its canopy.
6. (Naut.) A boxlike step for a mast with the after side open, so that the mast can be lowered to pass under bridges, etc. Feast of Tabernacles (Jewish Antiq.), one of the three principal festivals of the Jews, lasting seven days, during which the people dwelt in booths formed of the boughs of trees, in commemoration of the habitation of their ancestors in similar dwellings during their pilgrimage in the wilderness. — Tabernacle work, rich canopy work like that over the head of niches, used over seats or stalls, or over sepulchral monuments. Oxf. Gloss.
Tabernacle
Tab´er•na•cle, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tabernacled p. pr. & vb. n. Tabernacling ] To dwell or reside for a time; to be temporary housed.
"He assumed our nature, and tabernacled among us in the flesh." Dr. J. Scott.
Tabescent
Ta•bes´cent, a. [L. tabescens wasting, p. pr. of tabescere.] Withering, or wasting away.
Tabid
Tab´id, a. [L. tabidus: cf. F. tabide. See Tabes.] (Med.) Affected by tabes; tabetic.
"In tabid persons, milk is the bset restorative." Arbuthnot. — Tab´id•ly, adv. — Tab´id•ness, n. { Ta•bif´ic, Ta•bif´ic•al } a. [ Tabes + L. facere to make.] (Med.) Producing tabes; wasting; tabefying.
Tabinet
Tab´inet, n. See Tabbinet. Thackeray.
Tablature
Tab´la•ture, n. [Cf. F. tablature ancient mode of musical notation. See Table.]
1. (Paint.) A painting on a wall or ceiling; a single piece comprehended in one view, and formed according to one design; hence, a picture in general. Shaftesbury.
2. (Mus.) An ancient mode of indicating musical sounds by letters and other signs instead of by notes.
"The chimes of bells are so rarely managed that I went up to that of Sir Nicholas where I found who played all sorts of compositions from the tablature before him as if he had fingered an organ." Evelyn.
3. (Anat.) Division into plates or tables with intervening spaces; as the tablature of the cranial bones.
Table
Ta´ble, n. [F., fr. L. tabula a board, tablet, a painting. Cf. Tabular, Taffrail, Tavern.]
1. A smooth, flat surface, like the side of a board; a thin, flat, smooth piece of anything; a slab.
"A bagnio paved with fair tables of marble." Sandys.
2. A thin, flat piece of wood, stone, metal, or other material, on which anything is cut, traced, written, or painted; a tablet; pl. a memorandum book. "The names … written on his tables." Chaucer.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest." Ex. xxxiv. 1.
"And stand there with your tables to glean
The golden sentences." Beau. & Fl.
3. Any smooth, flat surface upon which an inscription, a drawing, or the like, may be produced. "Painted in a table plain." Spenser.
"The opposite walls are painted by Rubens, which, with that other of the Infanta taking leave of Don Philip, is a most incomparable table." Evelyn.
"St. Antony has a table that hangs up to him from a poor peasant." Addison.
4. Hence, in a great variety of applications: A condensed statement which may be comprehended by the eye in a single view; a methodical or systematic synopsis; the presentation of many items or particulars in one group; a scheme; a schedule. Specifically: — (a) (Bibliog.) A view of the contents of a work; a statement of the principal topics discussed; an index; a syllabus; a synopsis; as a table of contents. (b) (Chem.) A list of substances and their properties; especially, a list of the elementary substances with their atomic weights, densities, symbols, etc. (c) (Mach.) Any collection and arrangement in a condensed form of many particulars or values, for ready reference, as of weights, measures, currency, specific gravities, etc.; also a series of numbers following some law, and expressing particular values corresponding to certain other numbers on which they depend, and by means of which they are taken out for use in computations; as tables of logarithms, sines, tangents, squares, cubes, etc.; annuity tables; interest tables; astronomical tables, etc. (d) (Palmistry) The arrangement or disposition of the lines which appear on the inside of the hand.
"Mistress of a fairer table
Hath not history for fable." B. Jonson.
5. An article of furniture, consisting of a flat slab, board, or the like, having a smooth surface, fixed horizontally on legs, and used for a great variety of purposes, as in eating, writing, or working.
"We may again
Give to our tables meat." Shak.
"The nymph the table spread." Pope.
6. Hence, food placed on a table to be partaken of; fare; entertainment; as to set a good table.
7. The company assembled round a table.
"I drink the general joy of the whole table." Shak.
8. (Anat.) One of the two, external and internal, layers of compact bone, separated by diploë, in the walls of the cranium.
9. (Arch.) A stringcourse which includes an offset; esp., a band of stone, or the like, set where an offset is required, so as to make it decorative. See Water table.
10. (Games) (a) The board on the opposite sides of which backgammon and draughts are played. (b) One of the divisions of a backgammon board; as to play into the right-hand table. (c) pl. The games of backgammon and of draughts. [Obs.] Chaucer.
"This is the ape of form, monsieur the nice,
That, when he plays at tables, chides the dice." Shak.
11. (Glass Manuf.) A circular plate of crown glass.
"A circular plate or table of about five feet diameter weighs on an average nine pounds." Ure.
12. (Jewelry) The upper flat surface of a diamond or other precious stone, the sides of which are cut in angles.
13. (Persp.) A plane surface, supposed to be transparent and perpendicular to the horizon; — called also perspective plane.
14. (Mach.) The part of a machine tool on which the work rests and is fastened. Bench table, Card table, Communion table, Lord’s table, etc. See under Bench, Card, etc. — Raised table (Arch. & Sculp.), a raised or projecting member of a flat surface, large in proportion to the projection, and usually rectangular, — especially intended to receive an inscription or the like. — Roller table (Horology), a flat disk on the arbor of the balance of a watch, holding the jewel which rolls in and out of the fork at the end of the lever of the escapement. — Round table. See Dictionary of Noted Names in Fiction. — Table anvil, a small anvil to be fastened to a table for use in making slight repairs. — Table base. (Arch.) Same as Water table. — Table bed, a bed in the form of a table. — Table beer, beer for table, or for common use; small beer. — Table bell, a small bell to be used at table for calling servants. — Table cover, a cloth for covering a table, especially at other than mealtimes. — Table diamond, a thin diamond cut with a flat upper surface. — Table linen, linen tablecloth, napkins, and the like. — Table money (Mil. or Naut.), an allowance sometimes made to officers over and above their pay, for table expenses. — Table rent (O. Eng. Law), rent paid to a bishop or religious, reserved or appropriated to his table or housekeeping. Burrill. — Table shore (Naut.), a low, level shore. — Table talk, conversation at table, or at meals. — Table talker, one who talks at table. — Table tipping, Table turning, certain movements of tables, etc., attributed by some to the agency of departed spirits, and by others to the development of latent vital or spriritual forces, but more commonly ascribed to the muscular force of persons in connection with the objects moved, or to physical force applied otherwise. — Tables of a girder or chord (Engin.), the upper and lower horizontal members. — To lay on the table, in parliamentary usage, to lay, as a report, motion, etc., on the table of the presiding officer, — that is, to postpone the consideration of, by a vote. — To serve tables (Script.), to provide for the poor, or to distribute provisions for their wants. Acts vi. 2. — To turn the tables, to change the condition or fortune of contending parties; — a metaphorical expression taken from the vicissitudes of fortune in gaming. — Twelve tables (Rom. Antiq.), a celebrated body of Roman laws, framed by decemvirs appointed 450 years before Christ, on the return of deputies or commissioners who had been sent to Greece to examine into foreign laws and institutions. They consisted partly of laws transcribed from the institutions of other nations, partly of such as were altered and accommodated to the manners of the Romans, partly of new provisions, and mainly, perhaps, of laws and usages under their ancient kings. Burrill.
Table
Ta´ble, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tableed p. pr. & vb. n. Tableing ]
1. To form into a table or catalogue; to tabulate; as to table fines.
2. To delineate, as on a table; to represent, as in a picture. [Obs.]
"Tabled and pictured in the chambers of meditation." Bacon.
3. To supply with food; to feed. [Obs.] Milton.
4. (Carp.) To insert, as one piece of timber into another, by alternate scores or projections from the middle, to prevent slipping; to scarf.
5. To lay or place on a table, as money. Carlyle.
6. In parliamentary usage, to lay on the table; to postpone, by a formal vote, the consideration of (a bill, motion, or the like) till called for, or indefinitely.
7. To enter upon the docket; as to table charges against some one.
8. (Naut.) To make board hems in the skirts and bottoms of (sails) in order to strengthen them in the part attached to the boltrope.
Table work. (Print.) Typesetting of tabular nmatter, or the type matter set in tabular form.
Tableau
Ta•bleau´, n. ; pl. Tableaux (#). [F., dim. fr. L. tabula a painting. See Table.]
1. A striking and vivid representation; a picture.
2. A representation of some scene by means of persons grouped in the proper manner, placed in appropriate postures, and remaining silent and motionless.
Tableau
Ta•bleau´, n. (Solitaire) The arrangement, or layout, of cards.
Tableau vivant
Ta•bleau" vi•vant" pl. Tableaux vivants (#). [F.] Same as Tableau, n. , 2.
Tableman
Ta´ble•man, n. ; pl. Tablemen . A man at draughts; a piece used in playing games at tables. See Table, n. , 10. [R.] Bacon.
Tablement
Ta´ble•ment, n. (Arch.) A table. [Obs.]
"Tablements and chapters of pillars." Holland.
Tabler
Ta´bler, n.
1. One who boards. [Obs.]
2. One who boards others for hire. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Tablet
Ta´blet, n. [F. tablette, dim. of table. See Table.]
1. A small table or flat surface.
2. A flat piece of any material on which to write, paint, draw, or engrave; also such a piece containing an inscription or a picture.
3. Hence, a small picture; a miniature. [Obs.]
4. pl. A kind of pocket memorandum book.
5. A flattish cake or piece; as tablets of arsenic were formerly worn as a preservative against the plague.
6. (Pharm.) A solid kind of electuary or confection, commonly made of dry ingredients with sugar, and usually formed into little flat squares; — called also lozenge, and troche, especially when of a round or rounded form.
Tableware
Ta´ble•ware, n. Ware, or articles collectively, for table use.
Tabling
Ta´bling, n.
1. A forming into tables; a setting down in order.
2. (Carp.) The letting of one timber into another by alternate scores or projections, as in shipbuilding.
3. (Naut.) A broad hem on the edge of a sail. Totten.
4. Board; support. [Obs.] Trence in English (1614).
5. Act of playing at tables. See Table, n. , 10. [Obs.] Tabling house, a gambling house. [Obs.] Northbrooke.
Taboo
Ta•boo´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tabooed p. pr. & vb. n. Tabooing.] To put under taboo; to forbid, or to forbid the use of; to interdict approach to, or use of; as to taboo the ground set apart as a sanctuary for criminals. [Written also tabu.]
Tabor
Ta´bor, n. [OF. tabor, tabour, F. tambour; cf. Pr. tabor, tanbor, Sp. & Pg. tambor, atambor, It. tamburo; all fr. Ar. & Per. tambr a kind of lute, or giutar, or Per. tabir a drum. Cf. Tabouret, Tambour.] (Mus.) A small drum used as an accompaniment to a pipe or fife, both being played by the same person. [Written also tabour, and taber.]
Tabor
Ta´bor, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tabored p. pr. & vb. n. Taboring.] [Cf. OF. taborer.] [Written also tabour.]
1. To play on a tabor, or little drum.
2. To strike lightly and frequently.
Taboret
Tab´o•ret, n. [Dim. of tabor. Cf. Tabret.] (Mus.) A small tabor. [Written also tabouret.]
Taborine
Tab´o•rine, n. [OF. tabourin, F. tambourin. See Tabor, and cf. Tambourine.] (Mus.) A small, shallow drum; a tabor.
Tabouret
Tab´ou•ret, n. [F., dim. of OF. tabor, tabour, drum. See Tabor.]
1. Same as Taboret.
2. A seat without arms or back, cushioned and stuffed: a high stool; — so called from its resemblance to a drum.
3. An embroidery frame. Knight. Right of the tabouret, the privilege of sitting on a tabouret in the presence of the severeign, formerly granted to certain ladies of high rank at the French court.
Tabular
Tab´u•lar, a. [L. tabularis, fr. tabula a board, table. See Table.] Having the form of, or pertaining to, a table (in any of the uses of the word). Specifically: — (a) Having a flat surface; as a tabular rock. (b) Formed into a succession of flakes; laminated.
"Nodules … that are tabular and plated." Woodward. (c) Set in squares. [R.] (d) Arranged in a schedule; as tabular statistics. (e) Derived from, or computed by, the use of tables; as tabular right ascension. Tabular difference (Math.), the difference between two consecutive numbers in a table, sometimes printed in its proper place in the table. — Tabular spar (Min.), wollastonite.
Tabularize
Tab´u•lar•ize, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tabularized p. pr. & vb. n. Tabularizing ] To tabulate.
Tabulate
Tab´u•late, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tabulated p. pr. & vb. n. Tabulating.] [L. tabula a table. See Tabular.]
1. To form into a table or tables; to reduce to tables or synopses.
"A philosophy is not worth the having, unless its results may be tabulated, and put in figures." I. Taylor.
2. To shape with a flat surface.
Tac, n. [Cf. Tack, n. , 4.] (O. Eng. Law) A kind of customary payment by a tenant; — a word used in old records. Cowell. Burrill. { Tac´a•ma•hac•, Tac•a•ma•ha´ca } n.
1. A bitter balsamic resin obtained from tropical American trees of the genus Elaphrium ( E. tomentosum and E. Tacamahaca), and also from East Indian trees of the genus Calophyllum; also the resinous exhudation of the balsam poplar.
2. (Bot.) Any tree yielding tacamahac resin, especially, in North America, the balsam poplar, or balm of Gilead ( Populus balsamifera).
Tacaud
Ta•caud´, n. [Cf. F. tacaud. See Tomcod.] (Zoöl.) The bib, or whiting pout. [Prov. Eng.]
Tace, n. The cross, or church, of St. Antony. See Illust. (6), under Cross, n. Mollett.
Tace, n. See Tasse. Fairholt.
Tache, n. [See Tack a kind of nail.] Something used for taking hold or holding; a catch; a loop; a button. [Obs.] Ex. xxvi. 6.
Tache, n. [F. tache spot. See Techy.] A spot, stain, or blemish. [Obs.] Warner.
Tachometry
Ta•chom´e•try, n. Measurement by a tachometer; the science or use of tachometers.
Tachyglossa
Tach•y•glos´sa, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. tachy•s quick + tongue.] (Zoöl.) A division of monotremes which comprises the spiny ant-eaters of Australia and New Guinea. See Illust. under Echidna. { Tach•y•graph´ic, Tach•y•graph´ic•al } a. [Cf. F. tachygraphique.] Of or pertaining to tachygraphy; written in shorthand.
Tachymetry
Ta•chym´e•try, n. The science or use of the tachymeter. — Ta•chy•met´ric (#), a.
Tacit
Tac´it, a. [L. tacitus, p. p. of tacere to be silent, to pass over in silence; akin to Goth. þahan to be silent, Icel. þegja, OHG. dagen: cf. F. tacite. Cf. Reticent.] Done or made in silence; implied, but not expressed; silent; as tacit consent is consent by silence, or by not interposing an objection. — Tac´it•ly, adv.
"The tacit and secret theft of abusing our brother in civil contracts." Jer. Taylor.
Taciturn
Tac´i•turn, a. [L. taciturnus: cf. F. taciturne. See Tacit.] Habitually silent; not given to converse; not apt to talk or speak. — Tac´i•turn•ly, adv.
Syn. — Silent; reserved. Taciturn, Silent. Silent has reference to the act; taciturn, to the habit. A man may be silent from circumstances; he is taciturn from disposition. The loquacious man is at times silent; one who is taciturn may now and then make an effort at conversation.
Tack, n. [From an old or dialectal form of F. tache. See Techy.]
1. A stain; a tache. [Obs.]
2. [Cf. L. tactus.] A peculiar flavor or taint; as a musty tack. [Obs. or Colloq.] Drayton.
Tack, n. [OE. tak, takke, a fastening; akin to D. tak a branch, twig, G. zacke a twig, prong, spike, Dan. takke a tack, spike; cf. also Sw. tagg prickle, point, Icel. tag a willow twig, Ir. taca a peg, nail, fastening, Gael. tacaid, Armor. & Corn. tach; perhaps akin to E. take. Cf. Attach, Attack, Detach, Tag an end, Zigzag.]
1. A small, short, sharp-pointed nail, usually having a broad, flat head.
2. That which is attached; a supplement; an appendix. See Tack, v. t., 3. Macaulay.
"Some tacks had been made to money bills in King Charles’s time." Bp. Burnet.
3. (Naut.) (a) A rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corners of the courses when the vessel is closehauled (see Illust. of Ship); also a rope employed to pull the lower corner of a studding sail to the boom. (b) The part of a sail to which the tack is usually fastened; the foremost lower corner of fore-and-aft sails, as of schooners (see Illust. of Sail). (c) The direction of a vessel in regard to the trim of her sails; as the starboard tack, or port tack; — the former when she is closehauled with the wind on her starboard side; hence, the run of a vessel on one tack; also a change of direction.
4. (Scots Law) A contract by which the use of a thing is set, or let, for hire; a lease. Burrill.
5. Confidence; reliance. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. Tack of a flag (Naut.), a line spliced into the eye at the foot of the hoist for securing the flag to the halyards. — Tack pins (Naut.), belaying pins; — also called jack pins. — To haul the tacks aboard (Naut.), to set the courses. — To hold tack, to last or hold out. Milton.
Tack, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tacked p. pr. & vb. n. Tacking.] [Cf. OD. tacken to touch, take, seize, fix, akin to E. take. See Tack a small nail.]
1. To fasten or attach. "In hopes of getting some commendam tacked to their sees." Swift.
"And tacks the center to the sphere." Herbert.
2. Especially, to attach or secure in a slight or hasty manner, as by stitching or nailing; as to tack together the sheets of a book; to tack one piece of cloth to another; to tack on a board or shingle; to tack one piece of metal to another by drops of solder.
3. In parliamentary usage, to add (a supplement) to a bill; to append; — often with on or to. Macaulay.
4. (Naut.) To change the direction of (a vessel) when sailing closehauled, by putting the helm alee and shifting the tacks and sails so that she will proceed to windward nearly at right angles to her former course. In tacking, a vessel is brought to point at first directly to windward, and then so that the wind will blow against the other side.
Tack, v. i. (Naut.) To change the direction of a vessel by shifting the position of the helm and sails; also (as said of a vessel), to have her direction changed through the shifting of the helm and sails. See Tack, v. t., 4.
"Monk, … when he wanted his ship to tack to larboard, moved the mirth of his crew by calling out, "Wheel to the left."" Macaulay.
Tacket
Tack´et, n. [Dim. of tack a small nail.] A small, broad-headed nail. [Scot.] Jamieson.
Tackle
Tac´kle ( sometimes improperly pronounced ?, especially by seamen), n. [OE. takel, akin to LG. & D. takel, Dan. takkel, Sw. tackel; perhaps akin to E. taw, v.t., or to take.]
1. Apparatus for raising or lowering heavy weights, consisting of a rope and pulley blocks; sometimes, the rope and attachments, as distinct from the block.
2. Any instruments of action; an apparatus by which an object is moved or operated; gear; as fishing tackle, hunting tackle; formerly, specifically, weapons. "She to her tackle fell." Hudibras. In Chaucer, it denotes usually an arrow or arrows.
3. (Naut.) The rigging and apparatus of a ship; also any purchase where more than one block is used. Fall and tackle. See the Note under Pulley. — Fishing tackle. See under Fishing, a. — Ground tackle (Naut.), anchors, cables, etc. — Gun tackle, the apparatus or appliances for hauling cannon in or out. — Tackle fall, the rope, or rather the end of the rope, of a tackle, to which the power is applied. — Tack tackle (Naut.), a small tackle to pull down the tacks of the principal sails. — Tackle board, Tackle post (Ropemaking), a board, frame, or post, at the end of a ropewalk, for supporting the spindels, or whirls, for twisting the yarns.
Tackle
Tac´kle, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tackled p. pr. & vb. n. Tackling.] [Cf. LG. takeln to equip. See Tackle, n. ]
1. To supply with tackle. Beau. & Fl.
2. To fasten or attach, as with a tackle; to harness; as to tackle a horse into a coach or wagon. [Colloq.]
3. To seize; to lay hold of; to grapple; as a wrestler tackles his antagonist; a dog tackles the game.
"The greatest poetess of our day has wasted her time and strength in tackling windmills under conditions the most fitted to insure her defeat." Dublin Univ. Mag.
Tacky
Tack´y, a. [Cf. Techy, Tack a spot.] Sticky; adhesive; raw; — said of paint, varnish, etc., when not well dried. [U. S.]
Tacky
Tack´y, a. [Etymol. uncert.] Dowdy, shabby, or neglected in appearance; unkempt. [Local, U. S.]
Tact, n. [L. tactus a touching, touch, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tact. See Tangent.]
1. The sense of touch; feeling.
"Did you suppose that I could not make myself sensible to tact as well as sight?" Southey.
"Now, sight is a very refined tact." J. Le Conte.
2. (Mus.) The stroke in beating time.
3. Sensitive mental touch; peculiar skill or faculty; nice perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances.
"He had formed plans not inferior in grandeur and boldness to those of Richelieu, and had carried them into effect with a tact and wariness worthy of Mazarin." Macaulay.
"A tact which surpassed the tact of her sex as much as the tact of her sex surpassed the tact of ours." Macaulay.
Tactable
Tac´ta•ble, a. Capable of being touched; tangible. [R.] "They [women] being created to be both tractable and tactable." Massinger. { Tac´tic, Tac´tic•al } a. [Gr. . See tactics.] Of or pertaining to the art of military and naval tactics. — Tac´tic•al•ly, adv.
Tactical
Tac´tic•al, a. [Gr. . See Tactics.] Of or pert. to military or naval tactics; hence, pert. to, or characterized by, planning or maneuvering. { Tae´ni•a•cide•, n. Also Te´ni•a•cide• }. [ Taenia + -cide.] (Med.) A remedy to destroy tapeworms. { Tae´ni•a•fuge•, n. Also Te´ni•a•fuge• }. [ Taenia + L. fugare to drive away.] (Med.) A remedy to expel tapeworms. { Tae•ni´a•sis, n. Also Te•ni´a•sis }. [NL. See Taenia.] (Med.) Ill health due to taenia, or tapeworms.
Tactile
Tac´tile, a. [L. tactilis, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tactile.] Of or pertaining to the organs, or the sense, of touch; perceiving, or perceptible, by the touch; capable of being touched; as tactile corpuscles; tactile sensations. "Tactile sweets." Beaumont. "Tactile qualities." Sir M. Hale.Tactile sense (Physiol.), the sense of touch, or pressure sense. See Touch.
"The delicacy of the tactile sense varies on different parts of the skin; it is geatest on the forehead, temples and back of the forearm." H. N. Martin.
Tactual
Tac´tu•al, a. [See Tact.] (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to the sense, or the organs, of touch; derived from touch.
"In the lowest organisms we have a kind of tactual sense diffused over the entire body." Tyndall.
Tadpole
Tad´pole, n. [OE. tadde toad (AS. tadie, tadige) + poll; properly, a toad that is or seems all head. See Toad, and Poll.]
1. (Zoöl.) The young aquatic larva of any amphibian. In this stage it breathes by means of external or internal gills, is at first destitute of legs, and has a finlike tail. Called also polliwig, polliwog, porwiggle, or purwiggy.
2. (Zoöl.) The hooded merganser. [Local, U. S.] Tadpole fish. (Zoöl.) See Forkbeard (a).
Tael, n. [Malay tal, a certain weight, probably fr. Hind. tola, Skr. tula a balance, weight, tul to weigh.] A denomination of money, in China, worth nearly six shillings sterling, or about a dollar and forty cents; also a weight of one ounce and a third. [Written also tale.] { Taen, or Ta’en }, p. p. of Ta, to take, or a contraction of Taken. [Poetic & Scot.] Burns.
Taenia
Tae´ni•a, n. ; pl. Taeniae (#). [L., a ribbon, a tapeworm.]
1. (Zoöl.) A genus of intestinal worms which includes the common tapeworms of man. See Tapeworm.
2. (Anat.) A band; a structural line; — applied to several bands and lines of nervous matter in the brain.
3. (Arch.) The fillet, or band, at the bottom of a Doric frieze, separating it from the architrave.
Taeniada
Tae•ni´a•da, n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) Same as Taenioidea.
Taenidium
Tae•nid´i•um, n. ; pl. Taenidia (#). [NL., dim. fr. L. taenia a ribbon.] (Zoöl.) The chitinous fiber forming the spiral thread of the tracheae of insects. See Illust. of Trachea.
Taenioglossate
Tae•ni•o•glos´sate, a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Taenioglossa.
Taenioidea
Tae•ni•oi´de•a, n. pl. (Zoöl.) The division of cestode worms which comprises the tapeworms. See Tapeworm.
Taeniosomi
Tae•ni•o•so´mi, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ribbon + body.] (Zoöl.) An order of fishes remarkable for their long and compressed form. The ribbon fishes are examples. See Ribbon fish, under Ribbon.
Tafferer
Taf´fer•er, n. (Naut.) See Taffrail. { Taf´fe•ta, Taf´fe•ty } n. [F. taffetas, It. taffetà, from Per. taftah, originally, twisted, woven, from taftan to twist, to spin.] A fine, smooth stuff of silk, having usually the wavy luster called watering. The term has also been applied to different kinds of silk goods, from the 16th century to modern times.
"Lined with taffeta and with sendal." Chaucer.
Taffrail
Taff´rail, n. [D. tafereel a panel, picture, fr. tafel table, fr. L. tabula. See Table.] (Naut.) The upper part of a ship’s stern, which is flat like a table on the top, and sometimes ornamented with carved work; the rail around a ship’s stern. [Written also tafferel.]
Tafia
Taf´i•a, n. [Cf. F. & Sp. tafia, It. taffia; fr. Malay tafia a spirit distilled from molasses. Cf. Ratafia.] A variety of rum. [West Indies]
Tag, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tagged p. pr. & vb. n. Tagging ]
1. To fit with, or as with, a tag or tags.
"He learned to make long- tagged thread laces." Macaulay.
"His courteous host … Tags every sentence with some fawning word." Dryden.
2. To join; to fasten; to attach. Bolingbroke.
3. To follow closely after; esp., to follow and touch in the game of tag. See Tag, a play.
Tag, v. i. To follow closely, as it were an appendage; — often with after; as to tag after a person.
Tag, n. [From Tag, v. ; cf. Tag, an end.] A child’s play in which one runs after and touches another, and then runs away to avoid being touched.
Taglia
Tagl´ia, n. [It., a cutting, a pulley, from tagliare to cut. See Tailor.] (Mech.) A peculiar combination of pulleys. Brande & C.
Taglock
Tag´lock, n. An entangled lock, as of hair or wool. Nares.
Tag-rag
Tag´-rag, n. & a. [See Tag an end, and Rag.] The lowest class of people; the rabble. Cf. Rag, tag, and bobtail, under Bobtail.
"If the tag-rag people did not clap him and hiss him, I am no true man." Shak.
Taguicati
Ta•gui•ca´ti, n. [From the native name.] (Zoöl.) The white-lipped peccary.
Taha
Ta´ha, n. The African rufous-necked weaver bird ( Hyphantornis texor).
Tahaleb
Ta•ha´leb, n. [From the native name.] (Zoöl.) A fox ( Vulpes Niloticus) of Northern Africa.
Tail, n. [F. taille a cutting. See Entail, Tally.] (Law) Limitation; abridgment. Burrill. Estate in tail, a limited, abridged, or reduced fee; an estate limited to certain heirs, and from which the other heirs are precluded; — called also estate tail. Blackstone.
Tail, a. (Law) Limited; abridged; reduced; curtailed; as estate tail.
Tail, n. [AS. taegel, taegl; akin to G. zagel, Icel. tagl, Sw. tagel, Goth. tagl hair. rad.59.]
1. (Zoöl.) The terminal, and usually flexible, posterior appendage of an animal. The tail of mammals and reptiles contains a series of movable vertebrae, and is covered with flesh and hairs or scales like those of other parts of the body. The tail of existing birds consists of several more or less consolidated vertebrae which supports a fanlike group of quills to which the term tail is more particularly applied. The tail of fishes consists of the tapering hind portion of the body ending in a caudal fin. The term tail is sometimes applied to the entire abdomen of a crustacean or insect, and sometimes to the terminal piece or pygidium alone.
2. Any long, flexible terminal appendage; whatever resembles, in shape or position, the tail of an animal, as a catkin.
"Doretus writes a great praise of the distilled waters of those tails that hang on willow trees." Harvey.
3. Hence, the back, last, lower, or inferior part of anything, — as opposed to the head, or the superior part.
"The Lord will make thee the head, and not the tail." Deut. xxviii. 13.
4. A train or company of attendants; a retinue.
""Ah," said he, "if you saw but the chief with his tail on."" Sir W. Scott.
5. The side of a coin opposite to that which bears the head, effigy, or date; the reverse; — rarely used except in the expression "heads or tails," employed when a coin is thrown up for the purpose of deciding some point by its fall.
6. (Anat.) The distal tendon of a muscle.
7. (Bot.) A downy or feathery appendage to certain achenes. It is formed of the permanent elongated style.
8. (Surg.) (a) A portion of an incision, at its beginning or end, which does not go through the whole thickness of the skin, and is more painful than a complete incision; — called also tailing. (b) One of the strips at the end of a bandage formed by splitting the bandage one or more times.
9. (Naut.) A rope spliced to the strap of a block, by which it may be lashed to anything.
10. (Mus.) The part of a note which runs perpendicularly upward or downward from the head; the stem. Moore (Encyc. of Music).
11. pl. Same as Tailing, 4.
12. (Arch.) The bottom or lower portion of a member or part, as a slate or tile.
13. pl. (Mining) See Tailing, n. , 5. Tail beam. (Arch.) Same as Tailpiece. — Tail coverts (Zoöl.), the feathers which cover the bases of the tail quills. They are sometimes much longer than the quills, and form elegant plumes. Those above the quills are called the upper tail coverts, and those below, the under tail coverts. — Tail end, the latter end; the termination; as the tail end of a contest. [Colloq.] — Tail joist. (Arch.) Same as Tailpiece. — Tail of a comet (Astron.), a luminous train extending from the nucleus or body, often to a great distance, and usually in a direction opposite to the sun. — Tail of a gale (Naut.), the latter part of it, when the wind has greatly abated. Totten. — Tail of a lock (on a canal), the lower end, or entrance into the lower pond. — Tail of the trenches (Fort.), the post where the besiegers begin to break ground, and cover themselves from the fire of the place, in advancing the lines of approach. — Tail spindle, the spindle of the tailstock of a turning lathe; — called also dead spindle. — To turn tail, to run away; to flee.
"Would she turn tail to the heron, and fly quite out another way; but all was to return in a higher pitch." Sir P. Sidney.
Tail, v. i.
1. (Arch.) To hold by the end; — said of a timber when it rests upon a wall or other support; — with in or into.
2. (Naut.) To swing with the stern in a certain direction; — said of a vessel at anchor; as this vessel tails down stream. Tail on. (Naut.) See Tally on, under Tally.
Tail-bay
Tail´-bay, n.
1. (Arch.) One of the joists which rest one end on the wall and the other on a girder; also the space between a wall and the nearest girder of a floor. Cf. Case-bay.
2. The part of a canal lock below the lower gates.
Tailblock
Tail´block, n. (Naut.) A block with a tail. See Tail, 9.
Tailing
Tail´ing, n.
1. (Arch.) The part of a projecting stone or brick inserted in a wall. Gwilt.
2. (Surg.) Same as Tail, n. , 8 (a).
3. Sexual intercourse. [Obs.] Chaucer.
4. pl. The lighter parts of grain separated from the seed threshing and winnowing; chaff.
5. pl. (Mining) The refuse part of stamped ore, thrown behind the tail of the buddle or washing apparatus. It is dressed over again to secure whatever metal may exist in it. Called also tails. Pryce.
Taille, n. [F. See Tally, Tailor.]
1. A tally; an account scored on a piece of wood. [Obs.]
"Whether that he paid or took by taille." Chaucer.
2. (O. F. Law) Any imposition levied by the king, or any other lord, upon his subjects.
"The taille, as it still subsists in France, may serve as an example of those ancient tallages. It was a tax upon the profits of the farmer, which they estimate by the stock that he has upon the farm." A. Smith.
3. (Mus.) The French name for the tenor voice or part; also for the tenor viol or viola.
Tailor
Tai´lor, n. [OF. tailleor, F. tailleur, fr. OF. taillier, F. tailler to cut, fr. L. talea a rod, stick, a cutting, layer for planting. Cf. Detail, Entail, Retail, Tally, n. ]
1. One whose occupation is to cut out and make men’s garments; also one who cuts out and makes ladies’ outer garments.
"Well said, good woman’s tailor … I would thou wert a man’s tailor." Shak.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The mattowacca; — called also tailor herring. (b) The silversides.
3. (Zoöl.) The goldfish. [Prov. Eng.] Salt-water tailor (Zoöl.), the bluefish. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett. — Tailor bird (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of small Asiatic and East Indian singing birds belonging to Orthotomus, Prinia, and allied genera. They are noted for the skill with which they sew leaves together to form nests. The common Indian species are O. longicauda, which has the back, scapulars, and upper tail coverts yellowish green, and the under parts white; and the golden-headed tailor bird ( O. coronatus), which has the top of the head golden yellow and the back and wings pale olive-green.
Tailor
Tai´lor, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tailored p. pr. & vb. n. Tailoring.] To practice making men’s clothes; to follow the business of a tailor.
"These tailoring artists for our lays
Invent cramped rules." M. Green.
Tailoring
Tai´lor•ing, adv. The business or the work of a tailor or a tailoress.
Tailpiece
Tail´piece, n.
1. A piece at the end; an appendage.
2. (Arch.) One of the timbers which tail into a header, in floor framing. See Illust. of Header.
3. (Print.) An ornament placed at the bottom of a short page to fill up the space, or at the end of a book. Savage.
4. A piece of ebony or other material attached to the lower end of a violin or similar instrument, to which the strings are fastened.
Tailpin
Tail´pin´, n. (Mach.) The center in the spindle of a turning lathe.
Tailrace
Tail´race, n.
1. See Race, n. , 6.
2. (Mining) The channel in which tailings, suspended in water, are conducted away.
Tailzie
Tail´zie (-zi or -yi), n. [F. tailler to cut. See Tail a limitation.] (Scots Law) An entailment or deed whereby the legal course of succession is cut off, and an arbitrary one substituted. [Written also tailzee.]
Taint, n. [Cf. F. atteinte a blow, bit, stroke. See Attaint.]
1. A thrust with a lance, which fails of its intended effect. [Obs.]
"This taint he followed with his sword drawn from a silver sheath." Chapman.
2. An injury done to a lance in an encounter, without its being broken; also a breaking of a lance in an encounter in a dishonorable or unscientific manner. [Obs.]
Taint, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tainted p. pr. & vb. n. Tainting.] To thrust ineffectually with a lance. [Obs.]
Taint, v. t. [F. teint, p. p. of teindre to dye, tinge, fr. L. tingere, tinctum. See Tinge, and cf. Tint.]
1. To imbue or impregnate with something extraneous, especially with something odious, noxious, or poisonous; hence, to corrupt; to infect; to poison; as putrid substance taint the air.
2. Fig.: To stain; to sully; to tarnish.
"His unkindness may defeat my life,
But never taint my love." Shak.
Syn. — To contaminate; defile; pollute; corrupt; infect; disease; vitiate; poison.
Taint, v. t. Aphetic form of Attaint. { Tai´ping´, or Tae´ping´ }, a. [Chin. t’aip’ing great peace.] (Chinese Hist.) Pertaining to or designating a dynasty with which one Hung-Siu-Chuen, a half-religious, half-political enthusiast, attempted to supplant the Manchu dynasty by the Taiping rebellion, incited by him in 1850 and suppressed by General Gordon about 1864.
Tainture
Tain´ture, n. [F. teinture. See Taint to stain, and cf. Tincture.] Taint; tinge; difilement; stain; spot. [R.] Shak.
Taintworm
Taint´worm, n. (Zoöl.) A destructive parasitic worm or insect larva.
Tairn, n. See Tarn. Coleridge.
Take, obs. p. p. of Take. Taken. Chaucer.
Take, v. t. [ imp. Took p. p. Takend p. pr. & vb. n. Taking.] [Icel. taka; akin to Sw. taga, Dan. tage, Goth. tekan to touch; of uncertain origin.]
1. In an active sense; To lay hold of; to seize with the hands, or otherwise; to grasp; to get into one’s hold or possession; to procure; to seize and carry away; to convey. Hence, specifically: — (a) To obtain possession of by force or artifice; to get the custody or control of; to reduce into subjection to one’s power or will; to capture; to seize; to make prisoner; as to take am army, a city, or a ship; also to come upon or befall; to fasten on; to attack; to seize; — said of a disease, misfortune, or the like.
"This man was taken of the Jews." Acts xxiii. 27.
"Men in their loose, unguarded hours they take;
Not that themselves are wise, but others weak." Pope.
"They that come abroad after these showers are commonly taken with sickness." Bacon.
"There he blasts the tree and takes the cattle
And makes milch kine yield blood." Shak. (b) To gain or secure the interest or affection of; to captivate; to engage; to interest; to charm.
"Neither let her take thee with her eyelids." Prov. vi. 25.
"Cleombroutus was so taken with this prospect, that he had no patience." Wake.
"I know not why, but there was a something in those half-seen features, — a charm in the very shadow that hung over their imagined beauty, — which took me more than all the outshining loveliness of her companions." Moore. (c) To make selection of; to choose; also to turn to; to have recourse to; as to take the road to the right.
"Saul said, Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son. And Jonathan was taken." 1 Sam. xiv. 42.
"The violence of storming is the course which God is forced to take for the destroying … of sinners." Hammond. (d) To employ; to use; to occupy; hence, to demand; to require; as it takes so much cloth to make a coat.
"This man always takes time … before he passes his judgments." I. Watts. (e) To form a likeness of; to copy; to delineate; to picture; as to take picture of a person.
"Beauty alone could beauty take so right." Dryden. (f) To draw; to deduce; to derive. [R.]
"The firm belief of a future judgment is the most forcible motive to a good life, because taken from this consideration of the most lasting happiness and misery." Tillotson. (g) To assume; to adopt; to acquire, as shape; to permit to one’s self; to indulge or engage in; to yield to; to have or feel; to enjoy or experience, as rest, revenge, delight, shame; to form and adopt, as a resolution; — used in general senses, limited by a following complement, in many idiomatic phrases; as to take a resolution; I take the liberty to say. (h) To lead; to conduct; as to take a child to church. (i) To carry; to convey; to deliver to another; to hand over; as he took the book to the bindery.
"He took me certain gold, I wot it well." Chaucer. (k) To remove; to withdraw; to deduct; — with from; as to take the breath from one; to take two from four.
2. In a somewhat passive sense, to receive; to bear; to endure; to acknowledge; to accept. Specifically: — (a) To accept, as something offered; to receive; not to refuse or reject; to admit.
"Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer." Num. xxxv. 31.
"Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore." 1 Tim. v. 10. (b) To receive as something to be eaten or dronk; to partake of; to swallow; as to take food or wine. (c) Not to refuse or balk at; to undertake readily; to clear; as to take a hedge or fence. (d) To bear without ill humor or resentment; to submit to; to tolerate; to endure; as to take a joke; he will take an affront from no man. (e) To admit, as something presented to the mind; not to dispute; to allow; to accept; to receive in thought; to entertain in opinion; to understand; to interpret; to regard or look upon; to consider; to suppose; as to take a thing for granted; this I take to be man’s motive; to take men for spies.
"You take me right." Bacon.
"Charity, taken in its largest extent, is nothing else but the science love of God and our neighbor." Wake.
"[He] took that for virtue and affection which was nothing but vice in a disguise." South.
"You’d doubt his sex, and take him for a girl." Tate. (f) To accept the word or offer of; to receive and accept; to bear; to submit to; to enter into agreement with; — used in general senses; as to take a form or shape.
"I take thee at thy word." Rowe.
"Yet thy moist clay is pliant to command; …
Not take the mold." Dryden. To be taken aback, To take advantage of, To take air, etc. See under Aback, Advantage, etc. — To take aim, to direct the eye or weapon; to aim. — To take along, to carry, lead, or convey. — To take arms, to commence war or hostilities. — To take away, to carry off; to remove; to cause deprivation of; to do away with; as a bill for taking away the votes of bishops. "By your own law, I take your life away." Dryden. — To take breath, to stop, as from labor, in order to breathe or rest; to recruit or refresh one’s self. — To take care, to exercise care or vigilance; to be solicitous. "Doth God take care for oxen?" 1 Cor. ix. 9. — To take care of, to have the charge or care of; to care for; to superintend or oversee. — To take down. (a) To reduce; to bring down, as from a high, or higher, place; as to take down a book; hence, to bring lower; to depress; to abase or humble; as to take down pride, or the proud. "I never attempted to be impudent yet, that I was not taken down." Goldsmith. (b) To swallow; as to take down a potion. (c) To pull down; to pull to pieces; as to take down a house or a scaffold. (d) To record; to write down; as to take down a man’s words at the time he utters them. — To take effect, To take fire. See under Effect, and Fire. — To take ground to the right or to the left (Mil.), to extend the line to the right or left; to move, as troops, to the right or left. — To take heart, to gain confidence or courage; to be encouraged. — To take heed, to be careful or cautious. "Take heed what doom against yourself you give." Dryden. — To take heed to, to attend with care, as take heed to thy ways. — To take hold of, to seize; to fix on. — To take horse, to mount and ride a horse. — To take in. (a) To inclose; to fence. (b) To encompass or embrace; to comprise; to comprehend. (c) To draw into a smaller compass; to contract; to brail or furl; as to take in sail. (d) To cheat; to circumvent; to gull; to deceive. [Colloq.] (e) To admit; to receive; as a leaky vessel will take in water. (f) To win by conquest. [Obs.]
"For now Troy’s broad-wayed town
He shall take in." Chapman. (g) To receive into the mind or understanding. "Some bright genius can take in a long train of propositions." I. Watts. (h) To receive regularly, as a periodical work or newspaper; to take. [Eng.] — To take in hand. See under Hand. — To take in vain, to employ or utter as in an oath. "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Ex. xx. 7. — To take issue. See under Issue. — To take leave. See Leave, n. , 2. — To take a newspaper, magazine, or the like, to receive it regularly, as on paying the price of subscription. — To take notice, to observe, or to observe with particular attention. — To take notice of. See under Notice. — To take oath, to swear with solemnity, or in a judicial manner. — To take off. (a) To remove, as from the surface or outside; to remove from the top of anything; as to take off a load; to take off one’s hat. (b) To cut off; as to take off the head, or a limb. (c) To destroy; as to take off life. (d) To remove; to invalidate; as to take off the force of an argument. (e) To withdraw; to call or draw away. Locke. (f) To swallow; as to take off a glass of wine. (g) To purchase; to take in trade. "The Spaniards having no commodities that we will take off." Locke. (h) To copy; to reproduce. "Take off all their models in wood." Addison. (i) To imitate; to mimic; to personate. (k) To find place for; to dispose of; as more scholars than preferments can take off. [R.] Bacon. — To take on, to assume; to take upon one’s self; as to take on a character or responsibility. — To take one’s own course, to act one’s pleasure; to pursue the measures of one’s own choice. — To take order for. See under Order. — To take order with, to check; to hinder; to repress. [Obs.] Bacon. — To take orders. (a) To receive directions or commands. (b) (Eccl.) To enter some grade of the ministry. See Order, n. , 10. — To take out. (a) To remove from within a place; to separate; to deduct. (b) To draw out; to remove; to clear or cleanse from; as to take out a stain or spot from cloth. (c) To produce for one’s self; as to take out a patent. (d) To put an end to; as to take the conceit out of a man. (e) To escort; as to take out to dinner. — To take over, to undertake; to take the management of. [Eng.] Cross (Life of G. Eliot). — To take part, to share; as they take part in our rejoicing. — To take part with, to unite with; to join with. — To take place, root, sides, stock, etc. See under Place, Root, Side, etc. — To take the air. (a) (Falconry) To seek to escape by trying to rise higher than the falcon; — said of a bird. (b) See under Air. — To take the field. (Mil.) See under Field. — To take thought, to be concerned or anxious; to be solicitous. Matt. vi. 25, 27. — To take to heart. See under Heart. — To take to task, to reprove; to censure. — To take up. (a) To lift; to raise. Hood. (b) To buy or borrow; as to take up goods to a large amount; to take up money at the bank. (c) To begin; as to take up a lamentation. Ezek. xix. 1. (d) To gather together; to bind up; to fasten or to replace; as to take up raveled stitches; specifically (Surg.), to fasten with a ligature. (e) To engross; to employ; to occupy or fill; as to take up the time; to take up a great deal of room. (f) To take permanently. "Arnobius asserts that men of the finest parts … took up their rest in the Christian religion." Addison. (g) To seize; to catch; to arrest; as to take up a thief; to take up vagabonds. (h) To admit; to believe; to receive. [Obs.]
"The ancients took up experiments upon credit." Bacon. (i) To answer by reproof; to reprimand; to berate.
"One of his relations took him up roundly." L’Estrange. (k) To begin where another left off; to keep up in continuous succession.
"Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale." Addison. (l) To assume; to adopt as one’s own; to carry on or manage; as to take up the quarrels of our neighbors; to take up current opinions. "They take up our old trade of conquering." Dryden. (m) To comprise; to include. "The noble poem of Palemon and Arcite … takes up seven years." Dryden. (n) To receive, accept, or adopt for the purpose of assisting; to espouse the cause of; to favor. Ps. xxvii. 10. (o) To collect; to exact, as a tax; to levy; as to take up a contribution. "Take up commodities upon our bills." Shak. (p) To pay and receive; as to take up a note at the bank. (q) (Mach.) To remove, as by an adjustment of parts; as to take up lost motion, as in a bearing; also to make tight, as by winding, or drawing; as to take up slack thread in sewing. (r) To make up; to compose; to settle; as to take up a quarrel. [Obs.] Shak. — To take up arms. Same as To take arms, above. — To take upon one’s self. (a) To assume; to undertake; as he takes upon himself to assert that the fact is capable of proof. (b) To appropriate to one’s self; to allow to be imputed to, or inflicted upon, one’s self; as to take upon one’s self a punishment. — To take up the gauntlet. See under Gauntlet.
Take-off
Take´-off, n. An imitation, especially in the way of caricature.
Taker
Tak´er (tak"er), n. One who takes or receives; one who catches or apprehends.
Taking-off
Tak´ing-off, n. Removal; murder. See To take off (c), under Take, v. t.
"The deep damnation of his taking-off." Shak.
Tale, n. [AS. talu number, speech, narrative; akin to D. taal speech, language, G. zahl number, OHG. zala, Icel. tal, tala, number, speech, Sw. tal, Dan. tal number, tale speech, Goth. talzjan to instruct. Cf. Tell, v. t., Toll a tax, also Talk, v. i.]
1. That which is told; an oral relation or recital; any rehearsal of what has occured; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story. "The tale of Troy divine." Milton. "In such manner rime is Dante’s tale." Chaucer.
"We spend our years as a tale that is told." Ps. xc. 9.
2. A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration; a count, in distinction from measure or weight; a number reckoned or stated.
"The ignorant, … who measure by tale, and not by weight." Hooker.
"And every shepherd tells his tale,
Under the hawthornn in the dale." Milton.
"In packing, they keep a just tale of the number." Carew.
3. (Law) A count or declaration. [Obs.] To tell tale of, to make account of. [Obs.]
"Therefore little tale hath he told Of any dream, so holy was his heart." Chaucer.
Syn. — Anecdote; story; fable; incident; memoir; relation; account; legend; narrative.
Talegalla
Tal•e•gal´la, n. [NL.] (Zoöl.) A genus of Australian birds which includes the brush turkey. See Brush turkey.
Talent
Tal´ent, n. [F., fr. L. talentum a talent (in sense 1), Gr. a balance, anything weighed, a definite weight, a talent; akin to to bear, endure,, L. tolerare, tollere, to lift up, sustain, endure. See Thole, v. t., Tolerate.]
1. Among the ancient Greeks, a weight and a denomination of money equal to 60 minae or 6,000 drachmae. The Attic talent, as a weight, was about 57 lbs. avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver money, its value was £243 15s. sterling, or about $1,180.
"Rowing vessel whose burden does not exceed five hundred talents." Jowett (Thucid.).
2. Among the Hebrews, a weight and denomination of money. For silver it was equivalent to 3,000 shekels, and in weight was equal to about 93 lbs. avoirdupois; as a denomination of silver, it has been variously estimated at from £340 to £396 sterling, or about $1,645 to $1,916. For gold it was equal to 10,000 gold shekels.
3. Inclination; will; disposition; desire. [Obs.]
"They rather counseled you to your talent than to your profit." Chaucer.
4. Intellectual ability, natural or acquired; mental endowment or capacity; skill in accomplishing; a special gift, particularly in business, art, or the like; faculty; a use of the word probably originating in the Scripture parable of the talents ( Matt. xxv. 14-30).
"He is chiefly to be considered in his three different talents, as a critic, a satirist, and a writer of odes." Dryden.
"His talents, his accomplishments, his graceful manners, made him generally popular." Macaulay.
Syn. — Ability; faculty; gift; endowment. See Genius.
Taliation
Tal•i•a´tion, n. Retaliation. [Obs.]
"Just heav’n this taliation did decree." Beaumont.
Talion
Ta´li•on, n. [F., fr. L. talio, perh. fr. talis such. Cf. Retaliation.] Retaliation. [R.] Holinshed.
Talipes
Tal´i•pes, n. [NL., fr. L. talus an ankle + pes, pedis, a foot; cf. L. talipedare to be weak in the feet, properly, to walk on the ankles.] (Surg.) The deformity called clubfoot. See Clubfoot. Several varieties are distinguished; as Talipes varus, in which the foot is drawn up and bent inward; T. valgus, in which the foot is bent outward; T. equinus, in which the sole faces backward and the patient walks upon the balls of the toes; and T. calcaneus (called also talus), in which the sole faces forward and the patient walks upon the heel.
Talk, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Talked p. pr. & vb. n. Talking.] [Cf. LG. talk talk, gabble, Prov. G. talken to speak indistinctly; or OD. tolken to interpret, MHG. tolkan to interpret, to tell, to speak indistinctly, Dan. tolke to interpret, Sw. tolka, Icel. tlka to interpret, tlkr an interpreter, Lith. tulkas an interpreter, tulkanti, tulkoti, to interpret, Russ. tolkovate to interpret, to talk about; or perhaps fr. OE. talien to speak (see Tale, v. i. & n. ).]
1. To utter words; esp., to converse familiarly; to speak, as in familiar discourse, when two or more persons interchange thoughts.
"I will buy with you, sell with you, talk with you, walk with you, and so following, but I will not eat with you." Shak.
2. To confer; to reason; to consult.
"Let me talk with thee of thy judgments." Jer. xii. 1.
3. To prate; to speak impertinently. [Colloq.] To talk of, to relate; to tell; to give an account of; as authors talk of the wonderful remains of Palmyra. "The natural histories of Switzerland talk much of the fall of these rocks, and the great damage done." Addison. — To talk to, to advise or exhort, or to reprove gently; as I will talk to my son respecting his conduct. [Colloq.]
Talk, n.
1. The act of talking; especially, familiar converse; mutual discourse; that which is uttered, especially in familiar conversation, or the mutual converse of two or more.
"In various talk the instructive hours they passed." Pope.
"Their talk, when it was not made up of nautical phrases, was too commonly made up of oaths and curses." Macaulay.
2. Report; rumor; as to hear talk of war.
"I hear a talk up and down of raising our money." Locke.
3. Subject of discourse; as his achievment is the talk of the town.
Syn. — Conversation; colloquy; discourse; chat; dialogue; conference; communication. See Conversation.
Talkative
Talk´a•tive, a. Given to much talking.
Syn. — Garrulous; loquacious. See Garrulous. — Talk´a•tive•ly, adv. — Talk´a•tive•ness, n.
Tall, a. [ Compar. Taller superl. Tallest.] [OE. tal seemly, elegant, docile of uncertain origin; cf. AS. un- tala, un- tale, bad, Goth. un tals indocile, disobedient, uninstructed, or W. & Corn. tal high, Ir. talla meet, fit, proper, just.]
1. High in stature; having a considerable, or an unusual, extension upward; long and comparatively slender; having the diameter or lateral extent small in proportion to the height; as a tall person, tree, or mast.
"Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall." Milton.
2. Brave; bold; courageous. [Obs.]
"As tall a trencherman
As e’er demolished a pye fortification." Massinger.
"His companions, being almost in despair of victory, were suddenly recomforted by Sir William Stanley, which came to succors with three thousand tall men." Grafton.
3. Fine; splendid; excellent; also extravagant; excessive. [Obs. or Slang] B. Jonson.
Syn. — High; lofty. — Tall, High, Lofty. High is the generic term, and is applied to anything which is elevated or raised above another thing. Tall specifically describes that which has a small diameter in proportion to its height; hence, we speak of a tall man, a tall steeple, a tall mast, etc., but not of a tall hill. Lofty has a special reference to the expanse above us, and denotes an imposing height; as a lofty mountain; a lofty room. Tall is now properly applied only to physical objects; high and lofty have a moral acceptation; as high thought, purpose, etc.; lofty aspirations; a lofty genius. Lofty is the stronger word, and is usually coupled with the grand or admirable. { Tal´lage, Tal´li•age } n. [F. taillage. See Taille, and cf. Tailage.] (O. Eng. Law) A certain rate or tax paid by barons, knights, and inferior tenants, toward the public expenses. [Written also tailage, taillage.] When paid out of knight’s fees, it was called scutage; when by cities and burghs, tallage; when upon lands not held by military tenure, hidage. Blackstone.
Tallage
Tal´lage, v. t. To lay an impost upon; to cause to pay tallage.
Tallness
Tall´ness, n. The quality or state of being tall; height of stature.
Tallow
Tal´low, n. [OE. taluh, talugh; akin to OD. talgh, D. talk, G., Dan. and Sw. talg, Icel. tolgr, tolg, tolk; and perhaps to Goth. tulgus firm.]
1. The suet or fat of animals of the sheep and ox kinds, separated from membranous and fibrous matter by melting. The solid consistency of tallow is due to the large amount of stearin it contains. See Fat.
2. The fat of some other animals, or the fat obtained from certain plants, or from other sources, resembling the fat of animals of the sheep and ox kinds. Tallow candle, a candle made of tallow. — Tallow catch, a keech. See Keech. [Obs.] — Tallow chandler, one whose occupation is to make, or to sell, tallow candles. — Tallow chandlery, the trade of a tallow chandler; also the place where his business is carried on. — Tallow tree (Bot.), a tree ( Stillingia sebifera) growing in China, the seeds of which are covered with a substance which resembles tallow and is applied to the same purposes.
Tallow
Tal´low, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tallowed p. pr. & vb. n. Tallowing.]
1. To grease or smear with tallow.
2. To cause to have a large quantity of tallow; to fatten; as tallow sheep.
Tallow-face
Tal´low-face, n. One who has a sickly, pale complexion. Shak.
Tallow-faced
Tal´low-faced, a. Having a sickly complexion; pale. Burton.
Tallowy
Tal´low•y, a. Of the nature of tallow; resembling tallow; greasy.
Tallwood
Tall´wood, n. [Cf. Tally.] Firewood cut into billets of a certain length. [Obs.] [Eng.]
Tally
Tal´ly, n. ; pl. Tallies (#). [OE. taile, taille, F. taille a cutting, cut tally, fr. tailler to cut, but influenced probably by taille, p. p. of tailler. See Tailor, and cf. Tail a limitation, Taille, Tallage.]
1. Originally, a piece of wood on which notches or scores were cut, as the marks of number; later, one of two books, sheets of paper, etc., on which corresponding accounts were kept. In purshasing and selling, it was once customary for traders to have two sticks, or one stick cleft into two parts, and to mark with a score or notch, on each, the number or quantity of goods delivered, — the seller keeping one stick, and the purchaser the other. Before the use of writing, this, or something like it, was the only method of keeping accounts; and tallies were received as evidence in courts of justice. In the English exchequer were tallies of loans, one part being kept in the exchequer, the other being given to the creditor in lieu of an obligation for money lent to government.
2. Hence, any account or score kept by notches or marks, whether on wood or paper, or in a book; especially, one kept in duplicate.
3. One thing made to suit another; a match; a mate.
"They were framed the tallies for each other." Dryden.
4. A notch, mark, or score made on or in a tally; as to make or earn a tally in a game.
5. A tally shop. See Tally shop, below. Tally shop, a shop at which goods or articles are sold to customers on account, the account being kept in corresponding books, one called the tally, kept by the buyer, the other the counter tally, kept by the seller, and the payments being made weekly or otherwise by agreement. The trade thus regulated is called tally trade. Eng. Encyc. — To strike tallies, to act in correspondence, or alike. [Obs.] Fuller.
Tally
Tal´ly, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tallied p. pr. & vb. n. Tallying.] [Cf. F. tialler to cut. See Tally, n. ]
1. To score with correspondent notches; hence, to make to correspond; to cause to fit or suit.
"They are not so well tallied to the present juncture." Pope.
2. (Naut.) To check off, as parcels of freight going inboard or outboard. W. C. Russell.Tally on (Naut.), to dovetail together.
Tally
Tal´ly, adv. [See Tall, a. ] Stoutly; with spirit. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Tallyho
Tal´ly•ho, interj. & n.
1. The huntsman’s cry to incite or urge on his hounds.
2. A tallyho coach. Tallyho coach, a pleasure coach. See under Coach.
Talmudism
Tal´mud•ism, n. , n. The teachings of the Talmud, or adherence to them.
Talmudistic
Tal•mud•is´tic, a. Resembling the Talmud; Talmudic.
Talus
Ta´lus, n. ; pl. Tali (#). [L., the ankle, the ankle bone.]
1. (Anat.) The astragalus.
2. (Surg.) A variety of clubfoot ( Talipes calcaneus). See the Note under Talipes.
Tamability
Tam•a•bil´i•ty, n. The quality or state of being tamable; tamableness.
Tamarack
Tam´a•rack, n. (Bot.) (a) The American larch; also the larch of Oregon and British Columbia ( Larix occidentalis). See Hackmatack, and Larch. (b) The black pine ( Pinus Murrayana) of Alaska, California, etc. It is a small tree with fine- grained wood.
Tamaric
Tam´a•ric, n. [L. tamarice. See Tamarisk.] A shrub or tree supposed to be the tamarisk, or perhaps some kind of heath. [Obs.]
"He shall be like tamaric in the desert, and he shall not see when good shall come." Jer. xvii. 6 (Douay version).
Tamarind
Tam´a•rind, n. [It. tamarindo, or Sp. tamarindo, or Pg. tamarindo, tamarinho, from Ar. tamarhindi, literally, Indian date; tamar a dried date + Hind India: cf. F. tamarin. Cf. Hindu.] (Bot.)
1. A leguminous tree ( Tamarindus Indica) cultivated both the Indies, and the other tropical countries, for the sake of its shade, and for its fruit. The trunk of the tree is lofty and large, with wide-spreading branches; the flowers are in racemes at the ends of the branches. The leaves are small and finely pinnated.
2. One of the preserved seed pods of the tamarind, which contain an acid pulp, and are used medicinally and for preparing a pleasant drink. Tamarind fish, a preparation of a variety of East Indian fish with the acid pulp of the tamarind fruit. — Velvet tamarind. (a) A West African leguminous tree ( Codarium acutifolium). (b) One of the small black velvety pods, which are used for food in Sierra Leone. — Wild tamarind (Bot.), a name given to certain trees somewhat resembling the tamarind, as the Lysiloma latisiliqua of Southern Florida, and the Pithecolobium filicifolium of the West Indies.
Tambac
Tam´bac, n. (Metal.) See Tombac. [Obs.]
Tambour
Tam´bour, n.
1. (Mus.) A kind of small flat drum; a tambourine.
2. A small frame, commonly circular, and somewhat resembling a tambourine, used for stretching, and firmly holding, a portion of cloth that is to be embroidered; also the embroidery done upon such a frame; — called also in the latter sense, tambour work.
3. (Arch.) Same as Drum, n. , 2 (d).
4. (Fort.) A work usually in the form of a redan, to inclose a space before a door or staircase, or at the gorge of a larger work. It is arranged like a stockade.
5. (Physiol.) A shallow metallic cup or drum, with a thin elastic membrane supporting a writing lever. Two or more of these are connected by an India rubber tube, and used to transmit and register the movements of the pulse or of any pulsating artery.
Tambour
Tam´bour, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tamboured p. pr. & vb. n. Tambouring.] To embroider on a tambour.
Tambourin
Tam•bou•rin´, n. [F. See Tambourine.]
1. A tambourine. [Obs.]
2. (Mus.) An old Provençal dance of a lively character, common on the stage.
Tambourine
Tam•bour•ine´, n. [F. tambourin; cf. It. tamburino. See Tambour, and cf. Tamborine.] A small drum, especially a shallow drum with only one skin, played on with the hand, and having bells at the sides; a timbrel.
Tamburin
Tam•bu•rin´, n. See Tambourine. Spenser.
Tame, a. [ Compar. Tamer superl. Tamest.] [AS. tam; akin to D. tam, G. zahm, OHG. zam, Dan. & Sw. tam, Icel. tamr, L. domare to tame, Gr., Skr. dam to be tame, to tame, and perhaps to E. beteem. rad.61. Cf. Adamant, Diamond, Dame, Daunt, Indomitable.]
1. Reduced from a state of native wildness and shyness; accustomed to man; domesticated; domestic; as a tame deer, a tame bird.
2. Crushed; subdued; depressed; spiritless.
"Tame slaves of the laborious plow." Roscommon.
3. Deficient in spirit or animation; spiritless; dull; flat; insipid; as a tame poem; tame scenery.
Syn. — Gentle; mild; meek. See Gentle.
Tame, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tamed p. pr. & vb. n. Taming.] [AS. tamian, temian, akin to D. tammen, temmen, G. zähmen, OHG. zemmen, Icel. temja, Goth. ga tamjan. See Tame, a. ]
1. To reduce from a wild to a domestic state; to make gentle and familiar; to reclaim; to domesticate; as to tame a wild beast.
"They had not been tamed into submission, but baited into savegeness and stubbornness." Macaulay.
2. To subdue; to conquer; to repress; as to tame the pride or passions of youth.
Tamil
Ta´mil, a. Of or pertaining to the Tamils, or to their language. [Written also Tamul.]
Tamil
Ta´mil, n. [Written also Tamul.]
1. (Ethnol.) One of a Dravidian race of men native of Northern Ceylon and Southern India.
2. The Tamil language, the most important of the Dravidian languages. See Dravidian, a.
Tamilian
Ta•mil´i•an, a. & n. Tamil. { Tam´ine, Tam´i•ny } n. [Cf. F. tamis a sort of sieve. Cf. Stamin, Temse.] A kind of woolen cloth; tammy.
Tamp, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tamped p. pr. & vb. n. Tamping.] [Cf. F. tamponner to plug or stop. See Tampion.]
1. In blasting, to plug up with clay, earth, dry sand, sod, or other material, as a hole bored in a rock, in order to prevent the force of the explosion from being misdirected.
2. To drive in or down by frequent gentle strokes; as to tamp earth so as to make a smooth place.
Tampan
Tam´pan, n. (Zoöl.) A venomous South African tick. Livingstone.
Tampeon
Tam´pe•on, n. See Tampion. Farrow.
Tamper
Tam´per, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tampered p. pr. & vb. n. Tampering.] [A corruption of temper.]
1. To meddle; to be busy; to try little experiments; as to tamper with a disease.
"’T is dangerous tampering with a muse." Roscommon.
2. To meddle so as to alter, injure, or vitiate a thing.
3. To deal unfairly; to practice secretly; to use bribery.
"Others tampered
For Fleetwood, Desborough, and Lambert." Hudibras.
Tamping
Tamp´ing, n.
1. The act of one who tamps; specifically, the act of filling up a hole in a rock, or the branch of a mine, for the purpose of blasting the rock or exploding the mine.
2. The material used in tamping. See Tamp, v. t., 1. Tamping iron, an iron rod for beating down the earthy substance in tamping for blasting.
Tampion
Tam´pi•on, n. [F. tampon, tapon, tape, of Dutch or German origin. See Tap a pipe or plug, and cf. Tamp, Tampop, Tompion.] [Written also tampeon, and tompion.]
1. A wooden stopper, or plug, as for a cannon or other piece of ordnance, when not in use.
2. (Mus.) A plug for upper end of an organ pipe.
Tampon
Tam´pon, n. [F. See Tampion.] (Surg.) A plug introduced into a natural or artificial cavity of the body in order to arrest hemorrhage, or for the application of medicine.
Tampoon
Tam´poon, n. [See Tampion.] The stopper of a barrel; a bung.
Tam-tam
Tam´-tam, n. [Hind.; of imitative origin.] (Mus.) (a) A kind of drum used in the East Indies and other Oriental countries; — called also tom- tom. (b) A gong. See Gong, n. , 1.
Tan, n. [F. tan, perhaps fr. Armor. tann an oak, oak bar; or of Teutonic origin; cf. G. tanne a fir, OHG. tanna a fir, oak, MHG. tan a forest. Cf. Tawny.]
1. The bark of the oak, and some other trees, bruised and broken by a mill, for tanning hides; — so called both before and after it has been used. Called also tan bark.
2. A yellowish-brown color, like that of tan.
3. A brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun; as hands covered with tan. Tan bed (Hort.), a bed made of tan; a bark bed. — Tan pickle, the liquor used in tanning leather. — Tan spud, a spud used in stripping bark for tan from trees. — Tan stove. See Bark stove, under Bark. — Tan vat, a vat in which hides are steeped in liquor with tan.
Tan, a. Of the color of tan; yellowish- brown. Black and tan. See under Black, a.
Tan, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tanned p. pr. & vb. n. Tanning.] [F. tanner, LL. tannare. See Tan, n. ]
1. To convert (the skin of an animal) into leather, as by usual process of steeping it in an infusion of oak or some other bark, whereby it is impregnated with tannin, or tannic acid (which exists in several species of bark), and is thus rendered firm, durable, and in some degree impervious to water. The essential result in tanning is due to the fact that the tannins form, with gelatins and albuminoids, a series of insoluble compounds which constitute leather. Similar results may be produced by the use of other reagents in place of tannin, as alum, and some acids or chlorides, which are employed in certain processes of tanning.
2. To make brown; to imbrown, as by exposure to the rays of the sun; as to tan the skin.
Tanagrine
Tan´a•grine, a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the tanagers.
Tanagroid
Tan´a•groid, a. [ Tanager + - oid.] (Zoöl.) Tanagrine.
Tandem engine. A steam engine having two or more steam cylinders in line, with a common piston rod.
Tang (tang), n. [Of Scand. origin; cf. Dan. tang seaweed, Sw. tång, Icel. þang. Cf. Tangle.] (Bot.) A coarse blackish seaweed ( Fuscus nodosus). Dr. Prior.Tang sparrow (Zoöl.), the rock pipit. [Prov. Eng.]
Tang, n. [Probably fr. OD. tanger sharp, tart, literally, pinching; akin to E. tongs. rad.59. See Tong.]
1. A strong or offensive taste; especially, a taste of something extraneous to the thing itself; as wine or cider has a tang of the cask.
2. Fig.: A sharp, specific flavor or tinge. Cf. Tang a twang.
"Such proceedings had a strong tang of tyranny." Fuller.
"A cant of philosophism, and a tang of party politics." Jeffrey.
3. [Probably of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. tangi a projecting point; akin to E. tongs. See Tongs.] A projecting part of an object by means of which it is secured to a handle, or to some other part; anything resembling a tongue in form or position. Specifically: — (a) The part of a knife, fork, file, or other small instrument, which is inserted into the handle. (b) The projecting part of the breech of a musket barrel, by which the barrel is secured to the stock. (c) The part of a sword blade to which the handle is fastened. (d) The tongue of a buckle. [Prov. Eng.]
Tang, n. [Of imitative origin. Cf. Twang. This word has become confused with tang tatse, flavor.] A sharp, twanging sound; an unpleasant tone; a twang.
Tang, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tanged p. pr. & vb. n. Tanging.] To cause to ring or sound loudly; to ring.
"Let thy tongue tang arguments of state." Shak. To tang bees, to cause a swarm of bees to settle, by beating metal to make a din.
Tang, v. i. To make a ringing sound; to ring.
"Let thy tongue tang arguments of state." Shak.
Tang (täng), n. [Chin. T’ang.] A dynasty in Chinese history, from a. d. 618 to 905, distinguished by the founding of the Imperial Academy (the Hanlin), by the invention of printing, and as marking a golden age of literature.
Tangalung
Tan´ga•lung, n. (Zoöl.) An East Indian civet ( Viverra tangalunga).
Tangency
Tan´gen•cy, n. The quality or state of being tangent; a contact or touching.
Tangent
Tan´gent, n. [L. tangens, - entis, p. pr. of tangere to touch; akin to Gr. having seized: cf. F. tangente. Cf. Attain, Contaminate, Contingent, Entire, Tact, Taste, Tax, v. t.] (Geom.) A tangent line curve, or surface; specifically, that portion of the straight line tangent to a curve that is between the point of tangency and a given line, the given line being, for example, the axis of abscissas or a radius of a circle produced. See Trigonometrical function, under Function. Artificial, or Logarithmic, tangent, the logarithm of the natural tangent of an arc. — Natural tangent, a decimal expressing the length of the tangent of an arc, the radius being reckoned unity. — Tangent galvanometer (Elec.), a form of galvanometer having a circular coil and a short needle, in which the tangent of the angle of deflection of the needle is proportional to the strength of the current. — Tangent of an angle, the natural tangent of the arc subtending or measuring the angle. — Tangent of an arc, a right line, as ta, touching the arc of a circle at one extremity a, and terminated by a line ct, passing from the center through the other extremity o.
Tangent spoke. A tension spoke of a bicycle or similar wheel, secured tangentially to the hub.
Tangent wheel. (a) A worm or worm wheel; a tangent screw. (b) A wheel with tangent spokes.
Tangential
Tan•gen´tial, a. (Geom.) Of or pertaining to a tangent; in the direction of a tangent. Tangential force (Mech.), a force which acts on a moving body in the direction of a tangent to the path of the body, its effect being to increase or diminish the velocity; — distinguished from a normal force, which acts at right angles to the tangent and changes the direction of the motion without changing the velocity. — Tangential stress. (Engin.) See Shear, n. , 3.
Tangentially
Tan•gen´tial•ly, adv. In the direction of a tangent.
Tangfish
Tang´fish, n. (Zoöl.) The common harbor seal. [Prov. Eng.]
Tanghinia
Tan•ghin´i•a, n. [NL.] (Bot.) The ordeal tree. See under Ordeal.
Tangibility
Tan•gi•bil´i•ty, n. [Cf. F. tanggibilite.] The quality or state of being tangible.
Tangible
Tan´gi•ble, a. [L. tangibilis, fr. tangere to touch: cf. F. tangible. See Tangent.]
1. Perceptible to the touch; tactile; palpable. Bacon.
2. Capable of being possessed or realized; readily apprehensible by the mind; real; substantial; evident. "A tangible blunder." Byron.
"Direct and tangible benefit to ourselves and others." Southey. — Tan´gi•ble•ness, n. — Tan´gi•bly, adv.
Tangle
Tan´gle, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tangled p. pr. & vb. n. Tangling ] [A frequentative fr. tang seaweed; hence, to twist like seaweed. See Tang seaweed, and cf. Tangle, n. ]
1. To unite or knit together confusedly; to interweave or interlock, as threads, so as to make it difficult to unravel the knot; to entangle; to ravel.
2. To involve; to insnare; to entrap; as to be tangled in lies. "Tangled in amorous nets." Milton.
"When my simple weakness strays, Tangled in forbidden ways." Crashaw.
Tangle
Tan´gle, v. i. To be entangled or united confusedly; to get in a tangle.
Tangle
Tan´gle, n.
1. [Cf. Icel. þöngull. See Tang seaweed.] (Bot.) Any large blackish seaweed, especially the Laminaria saccharina. See Kelp.
"Coral and sea fan and tangle, the blooms and the palms of the ocean." C. Kingsley.
2. [From Tangle, v. ] A knot of threads, or other thing, united confusedly, or so interwoven as not to be easily disengaged; a snarl; as hair or yarn in tangles; a tangle of vines and briers. Used also figuratively.
3. pl. An instrument consisting essentially of an iron bar to which are attached swabs, or bundles of frayed rope, or other similar substances, — used to capture starfishes, sea urchins, and other similar creatures living at the bottom of the sea. Blue tangle. (Bot.)See Dangleberry. — Tangle picker (Zoöl.), the turnstone. [Prov. Eng.]
Tanglefish
Tan´gle•fish, n. (Zoöl.) The sea adder, or great pipefish of Europe.
Tangram
Tan´gram, n. [Cf. Trangram.] A Chinese toy made by cutting a square of thin wood, or other suitable material, into seven pieces, as shown in the cut, these pieces being capable of combination in various ways, so as to form a great number of different figures. It is now often used in primary schools as a means of instruction.
Tangun
Tan´gun, n. (Zoöl.) A piebald variety of the horse, native of Thibet.
Tanistry
Tan´ist•ry, n. [See Tanist.] In Ireland, a tenure of family lands by which the proprietor had only a life estate, to which he was admitted by election. The primitive intention seems to have been that the inheritance should descend to the oldest or most worthy of the blood and name of the deceased. This was in reality, giving it to the strongest; and the practice often occasioned bloody feuds in families, for which reason it was abolished under James I.
Tank, n. [Pg. tanque, L. stangum a pool; or perhaps of East Indian origin. Cf. Stank, n. ] A large basin or cistern; an artificial receptacle for liquids. Tank engine, a locomotive which carries the water and fuel it requires, thus dispensing with a tender. — Tank iron, plate iron thinner than boiler plate, and thicker than sheet iron or stovepipe iron. — Tank worm (Zoöl.), a small nematoid worm found in the water tanks of India, supposed by some to be the young of the Guinea worm.
Tannate
Tan´nate, n. [Cf. F. tannate.] (Chem.) A salt of tannic acid.
Tanner
Tan´ner, n. [Etym. uncertain.] A sixpence. [Slang, Eng.]
Tannin
Tan´nin, n. [Cf. F. tannin.] (Chem.) Same as Tannic acid, under Tannic.
Tanning
Tan´ning, n. The art or process of converting skins into leather. See Tan, v. t., 1.
Tant, n. [Cf. Taint tincture.] (Zoöl.) A small scarlet arachnid.
Tantalism
Tan´ta•lism, n. [See Tantalize.] A punishment like that of Tantalus; a teasing or tormenting by the hope or near approach of good which is not attainable; tantalization. Addison.
"Is not such a provision like tantalism to this people?" Josiah Quincy.
Tantalization
Tan•ta•li•za´tion, n. The act of tantalizing, or state of being tantalized. Gayton.
Tantalize
Tan´ta•lize, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tantalized p. pr. & vb. n. Tantalizing ] [From Tantalus: cf. F. tantaliser.] To tease or torment by presenting some good to the view and exciting desire, but continually frustrating the expectations by keeping that good out of reach; to tease; to torment.
"Thy vain desires, at strife
Within themselves, have tantalized thy life." Dryden.
Syn. — To tease; vex; irritate; provoke. — Tantalize, Disappoint. To disappoint is literally to do away with what was (or was taken to be) appointed; hence the peculiar pain from hopes thus dashed to the ground. To tantalize, a much stronger term, describes a most distressing form of disappointment, as in the case of Tantalus, the Phrygian king. To tantalize is to visit with the bitterest disappointment — to torment by exciting hopes or expectations which can never be realized.
Tantalizingly
Tan´ta•li•zing•ly, adv. In a tantalizing or teasing manner.
Tantalum
Tan´ta•lum, n. [NL. So named on account of the perplexity and difficulty encounterd by its discoverer (Ekeberg) in isolating it. See Tantalus.] (Chem.) A rare nonmetallic element found in certain minerals, as tantalite, samarskite, and fergusonite, and isolated as a dark powder which becomes steel-gray by burnishing. Symbol Ta. Atomic weight 182.0. Formerly called also tantalium.
Tantamount
Tan´ta•mount, v. i. To be tantamount or equivalent; to amount. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.
Tantivy
Tan•tiv´y, n. A rapid, violent gallop; an impetuous rush. Cleverland.
Tantrism
Tan´trism, n. The system of doctrines and rites taught in the tantras. — Tan´trist (#), n.
Tantrum
Tan´trum, n. A whim, or burst of ill-humor; an affected air. [Colloq.] Thackeray.
Tanyard
Tan´yard, n. An inclosure where the tanning of leather is carried on; a tannery.
Tap, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tapped p. pr. & vb. n. Tapping.] [F. taper to strike; of Teutonic origin; cf. dial. G. tapp, tapps, a blow, tappe a paw, fist, G. tappen to grope.]
1. To strike with a slight or gentle blow; to touch gently; to rap lightly; to pat; as to tap one with the hand or a cane.
2. To put a new sole or heel on; as to tap shoes.
Tap, n. [Cf. F. tape. See Tap to strike.]
1. A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat. Addison.
2. A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.
3. pl. (Mil.) A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers’ quarters and retiring to bed, — usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo. Wilhelm.
Tap, v. i. To strike a gentle blow.
Tap, n. [AS. taeppa, akin to D. tap, G. zapfen, OHG. zapfo, Dan. tap, Sw. tapp, Icel. tappi. Cf. Tampion, Tip.]
1. A hole or pipe through which liquor is drawn.
2. A plug or spile for stopping a hole pierced in a cask, or the like; a faucet.
3. Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor; as a liquor of the same tap. [Colloq.]
4. A place where liquor is drawn for drinking; a taproom; a bar. [Colloq.]
5. (Mech.) A tool for forming an internal screw, as in a nut, consisting of a hardened steel male screw grooved longitudinally so as to have cutting edges. On tap. (a) Ready to be drawn; as ale on tap. (b) Broached, or furnished with a tap; as a barrel on tap. — Plug tap (Mech.), a screw-cutting tap with a slightly tapering end. — Tap bolt, a bolt with a head on one end and a thread on the other end, to be screwed into some fixed part, instead of passing through the part and receiving a nut. See Illust. under Bolt. — Tap cinder (Metal.), the slag of a puddling furnace.
Tape, n. [AS. taeppe a fillet. Cf. Tapestry, Tippet.]
1. A narrow fillet or band of cotton or linen; a narrow woven fabric used for strings and the like; as curtains tied with tape.
2. A tapeline; also a metallic ribbon so marked as to serve as a tapeline; as a steel tape. Red tape. See under Red. — Tape grass (Bot.), a plant ( Vallisneria spiralis) with long ribbonlike leaves, growing in fresh or brackish water; — called also fresh-water eelgrass, and, in Maryland, wild celery. — Tape needle. See Bodkin, n. , 4.
Tape, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Taped p. pr. & vb. n. Taping.] To furnish with tape; to fasten, tie, bind, or the like, with tape; specif. (Elec.), to cover (a wire) with insulating tape.
Taper
Ta´per, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tapered p. pr. & vb. n. Tapering.] To become gradually smaller toward one end; as a sugar loaf tapers toward one end.
Tapered
Ta´pered, a. Lighted with a taper or tapers; as a tapered choir. [R.] T. Warton.
Tapering
Ta´per•ing, a. Becoming gradually smaller toward one end. — Ta´per•ing•ly, adv.
Taperness
Ta´per•ness, n. The quality or state of being taper; tapering form; taper. Shenstone.
Tapestry
Tap´es•try, n. ; pl. Tapestries (#). [F. tapissere, fr. tapisser to carpet, to hang, or cover with tapestry, fr. tapis a carpet, carpeting, LL. tapecius, fr. L. tapete carpet, tapestry, Gr., . Cf. Tapis, Tippet.] A fabric, usually of worsted, worked upon a warp of linen or other thread by hand, the designs being usually more or less pictorial and the stuff employed for wall hangings and the like. The term is also applied to different kinds of embroidery. Tapestry carpet, a kind of carpet, somewhat resembling Brussels, in which the warp is printed before weaving, so as to produce the figure in the cloth. — Tapestry moth. (Zoöl.) Same as Carpet moth, under Carpet.
Tapestry
Tap´es•try, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tapestried p. pr. & vb. n. Tapestrying.] To adorn with tapestry, or as with tapestry.
"The Trosachs wound, as now, between gigantic walls of rock tapestried with broom and wild roses." Macaulay.
Tapet
Tap´et, n. [L. tapete. See Tapestry.] Worked or figured stuff; tapestry. [R.] Spenser.
Tapeworm
Tape´worm, n. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of cestode worms belonging to Taenia and many allied genera. The body is long, flat, and composed of numerous segments or proglottids varying in shape, those toward the end of the body being much larger and longer than the anterior ones, and containing the fully developed sexual organs. The head is small, destitute of a mouth, but furnished with two or more suckers (which vary greatly in shape in different genera), and sometimes, also with hooks for adhesion to the walls of the intestines of the animals in which they are parasitic. The larvae (see Cysticercus) live in the flesh of various creatures, and when swallowed by another animal of the right species develop into the mature tapeworm in its intestine. See Illustration in Appendix. Three species are common parasites of man: the pork tapeworm ( Taenia solium), the larva of which is found in pork; the beef tapeworm ( T. mediocanellata), the larva of which lives in the flesh of young cattle; and the broad tapeworm ( Bothriocephalus latus) which is found chiefly in the inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. See also Echinococcus, Cysticercus, Proglottis, and 2d Measles, 4.
Taphrenchyma
Taph•ren´chy•ma, n. [Gr. a trench + enchyma, as in parenchyma.] (Bot.) Same as Bothrenchyma.
Tapinage
Tap´i•nage, n. [See Tapish.] A lurking or skulking. [Obs.] Gower.
Tapioca
Tap•i•o´ca, n. [Braz. tapioka: cf. Pg., Sp. & F. tapioca.] A coarsely granular substance obtained by heating, and thus partly changing, the moistened starch obtained from the roots of the cassava. It is much used in puddings and as a thickening for soups. See Cassava.
Tapiroid
Ta´pir•oid, a. [ Tapir + - oid.] (Zoöl.) Allied to the tapir, or the Tapir family.
Tapis
Ta´pis, n. [F. See Tapestry.] Tapestry; formerly, the cover of a council table. On, or Upon, the tapis, on the table, or under consideration; as to lay a motion in Parliament on the tapis.
Tapis
Tap´is, v. t. To cover or work with figures like tapestry. [R.] Holland.
Tapiser
Tap´is•er, n. [F. tapissier.] A maker of tapestry; an upholsterer. [R.] Chaucer.
Tappester
Tap´pes•ter, n. [See Tapster.] A female tapster. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Tappet
Tap´pet, n. (Mach.) A lever or projection moved by some other piece, as a cam, or intended to tap or touch something else, with a view to produce change or regulate motion. G. Francis.Tappet motion, a valve motion worked by tappets from a reciprocating part, without an eccentric or cam, — used in steam pumps, etc. { Tap´pice, Tap´pis }, v. i. See Tapish.
Tapster
Tap´ster, n. [AS. taeppestre a female tapster. See Tap a plug, pipe, and -ster.] One whose business is to tap or draw ale or other liquor.
Taqua-nut
Ta´qua-nut, n. (Bot.) A Central American name for the ivory nut.
Tar, n. [Abbrev. from tarpaulin.] A sailor; a seaman. [Colloq.] Swift.
Tar, n. [OE. terre, tarre, AS. teru, teoru; akin to D. teer, G. teer, theer, Icel. tjara, Sw. tjära, Dan. tiaere, and to E. tree. rad.63. See Tree.] A thick, black, viscous liquid obtained by the distillation of wood, coal, etc., and having a varied composition according to the temperature and material employed in obtaining it. Coal tar. See in the Vocabulary. — Mineral tar (Min.), a kind of soft native bitumen. — Tar board, a strong quality of millboard made from junk and old tarred rope. Knight. — Tar water. (a) A cold infusion of tar in water, used as a medicine. (b) The ammoniacal water of gas works. — Wood tar, tar obtained from wood. It is usually obtained by the distillation of the wood of the pine, spruce, or fir, and is used in varnishes, cements, and to render ropes, oakum, etc., impervious to water.
Tar, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tarred p. pr. & vb. n. Tarring.] To smear with tar, or as with tar; as to tar ropes; to tar cloth. To tar and feather a person. See under Feather, v. t.
Tarantism
Tar´ant•ism, n. [It. tarantismo: cf. F. tarentisme. See Tarantula.] (Med.) A nervous affection producing melancholy, stupor, and an uncontrollable desire to dance. It was supposed to be produced by the bite of the tarantula, and considered to be incapable of cure except by protracted dancing to appropriate music. [Written also tarentism.]
Tarantulated
Ta•ran´tu•la•ted, a. Bitten by a tarantula; affected with tarantism.
Tarboosh
Tar•boosh´, n. [Ar. tarbsh; perhaps from Per. sar-posh headdress: cf. F. tarbouch.] A red cap worn by Turks and other Eastern nations, sometimes alone and sometimes swathed with linen or other stuff to make a turban. See Fez.
Tardigrada
Tar•di•gra´da, n. pl. [NL. See Tardigrade, a. ]
1. (Zoöl.) A tribe of edentates comprising the sloths. They are noted for the slowness of their movements when on the ground. See Sloth, 3.
2. (Zoöl.) An order of minute aquatic arachnids; — called also bear animalcules, sloth animalcules, and water bears.
Tardigradous
Tar´di•gra•dous, a. Moving slowly; slow-paced. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Tardiness
Tar´di•ness, n. The quality or state of being tardy.
Tardity
Tar´di•ty, n. [L. tarditas.] Slowness; tardiness. [R.] Sir K. Digby.
Tardo
Tar´do, a. [It.] (Mus.) Slow; — a direction to perform a passage slowly.
Tardy
Tar´dy, a. [ Compar. Tardier superl. Tardiest.] [F. tardif, fr. (assumed) LL. tardivus, fr. L. tardus slow.]
1. Moving with a slow pace or motion; slow; not swift.
"And check the tardy flight of time." Sandys.
"Tardy to vengeance, and with mercy brave." Prior.
2. Not being inseason; late; dilatory; — opposed to prompt; as to be tardy in one’s payments. Arbuthnot.
"The tardy plants in our cold orchards placed." Waller.
3. Unwary; unready. [Obs.] Hudibras.
4. Criminal; guilty. [Obs.] Collier.
Syn. — Slow; dilatory; tedious; reluctant. See Slow.
Tare, obs. imp. of Tear. Tore.
Tare, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tared p. pr. & vb. n. Taring.] To ascertain or mark the tare of (goods).
Targe, n. [F. Cf. Target.] A shield or target. [Obs. or Poetic] "A buckler on a targe." Chaucer.
Targeted
Tar´get•ed, a. Furnished, armed, or protected, with a target.
Targeteer
Tar•get•eer´, n. One who is armed with a target or shield. [Written also targetier.]
Targum
Tar´gum, n. ; pl. Targums (#). Heb. Targumim (#). [Chald. targum interpretation, fr. targem to interpret. Cf. Truchman, and Dragoman.] A translation or paraphrase of some portion of the Old Testament Scriptures in the Chaldee or Aramaic language or dialect.
Targumist
Tar´gum•ist, n. The writer of a Targum; one versed in the Targums.
Tariff
Tar´iff, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tariffed p. pr. & vb. n. Tariffing.] To make a list of duties on, as goods.
Taring
Tar´ing, n. (Zoöl.) The common tern; — called also tarret, and tarrock. [Prov. Eng.]
Tarlatan
Tar´la•tan, n. A kind of thin, transparent muslin, used for dresses.
Tarnish
Tar´nish, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tarnished p. pr. & vb. n. Tarnishing.] [F. ternir, fr. OHG. tarnen to darken, to conceal, hide; akin to OS. dernian to hide, AS. dernan, dyrnan, OHG. tarni hidden, OS. derni, AS. derne, dyrne. Cf. Dern, a. , and see -ish.] To soil, or change the appearance of, especially by an alternation induced by the air, or by dust, or the like; to diminish, dull, or destroy the luster of; to sully; as to tarnish a metal; to tarnish gilding; to tarnish the purity of color. "Tarnished lace." Fuller. Used also figuratively; as to tarnish one’s honor.
Syn. — To sully; stain; dim.
Tarot
Tar´ot, n. [F.; cf. It. tarocco.] A game of cards; — called also taroc. Hoyle.
Tarpaulin
Tar•pau´lin, n. [ Tar + palling a covering, pall to cover. See Pall a covering.]
1. A piece of canvas covered with tar or a waterproof composition, used for covering the hatches of a ship, hammocks, boats, etc.
2. A hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others.
3. Hence, a sailor; a seaman; a tar.
"To a landsman, these tarpaulins, as they were called, seemed a strange and half-savage race." Macaulay.
Tarquinish
Tar´quin•ish, a. Like a Tarquin, a king of ancient Rome; proud; haughty; overbearing.
Tarrace
Tar´race, n. See Trass. [Obs.]
Tarragon
Tar´ra•gon, n. [Sp. taragona, Ar. tarkhn; perhaps fr. Gr. a dragon, or L. draco; cf. L. dracunculus tarragon. Cf. Dragon.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Artemisa ( A. dracunculus), much used in France for flavoring vinegar.
Tarras
Tar´ras, n. See Trass. [Obs.]
Tarre, v. t. [OE. tarien, terien, to irritate, provoke, AS. tergan to pull, pluck, torment; probably akin to E. tear, v.t. rad.63. Cf. Tarry, v. ] To set on, as a dog; to incite. [Obs.] Shak.
Tarrier
Tar´ri•er, n. One who, or that which, tarries.
Tarrier
Tar´ri•er, n. (Zoöl.) A kind of dig; a terrier. [Obs.]
Tarry
Tar´ry, a. [From Tar, n. ] Consisting of, or covered with, tar; like tar.
Tarry
Tar´ry, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tarried p. pr. & vb. n. Tarrying.] [OE. tarien to irritate (see Tarre); but with a change of sense probably due to confusion with OE. targen to delay, OF. targier, fr. (assumed) LL. tardicare, fr. L. tardare to make slow, to tarry, fr. tardus slow. Cf. Tardy.]
1. To stay or remain behind; to wait.
"Tarry ye for us, until we come again." Ex. xxiv. 14.
2. To delay; to put off going or coming; to loiter.
"Come down unto me, tarry not." Gen. xic. 9.
"One tarried here, there hurried one." Emerson.
3. To stay; to abide; to continue; to lodge.
"Tarry all night, and wash your feet." Gen. xix. 2.
Syn. — To abide; continue; lodge; await; loiter.
Tarse, n. [Cf. Tassel, Tiercel.] (Falconry) The male falcon.
Tarsi
Tar´si, n. , pl. of Tarsus. { Tar´si•a, Tar•si•a•tu´ra } n. [It.] A kind of mosaic in woodwork, much employed in Italy in the fifteenth century and later, in which scrolls and arabesques, and sometimes architectural scenes, landscapes, fruits, flowers, and the like, were produced by inlaying pieces of wood of different colors and shades into panels usually of walnut wood.
Tarsius
Tar´si•us, n. [NL. See Tarsus.] (Zoöl.) A genus of nocturnal lemurine mammals having very large eyes and ears, a long tail, and very long proximal tarsal bones; — called also malmag, spectral lemur, podji, and tarsier.
Tarsus
Tar´sus, n. ; pl. Tarsi (#). [NL., fr. Gr. the flat of the foot, the edge of the eyelid. Cf. 2d Tarse.]
1. (Anat.) (a) The ankle; the bones or cartilages of the part of the foot between the metatarsus and the leg, consisting in man of seven short bones. (b) A plate of dense connective tissue or cartilage in the eyelid of man and many animals; — called also tarsal cartilage, and tarsal plate.
2. (Zoöl.) The foot of an insect or a crustacean. It usually consists of form two to five joints.
Tart, a. [AS. teart. rad.63. Cf. Tear, v. t.]
1. Sharp to the taste; acid; sour; as a tart apple.
2. Fig.: Sharp; keen; severe; as a tart reply; tart language; a tart rebuke.
"Why art thou tart, my brother?" Bunyan.
Tart, n. [OE. tarte, F. tarte; perhaps originally the same word as tourte, LL. torta, fr. L. tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist, bend, wind, because tarts were originally made of a twisted shape. Cf. Torture, n. ] A species of small open pie, or piece of pastry, containing jelly or conserve; a sort of fruit pie.
Tartar
Tar´tar, n. [F. tartre (cf. Pr. tartari, Sp., Pg., & It. tartaro, LL. tartarum, LGr. ); perhaps of Arabic origin.]
1. (Chem.) A reddish crust or sediment in wine casks, consisting essentially of crude cream of tartar, and used in marking pure cream of tartar, tartaric acid, potassium carbonate, black flux, etc., and, in dyeing, as a mordant for woolen goods; — called also argol, wine stone, etc.
2. A correction which often incrusts the teeth, consisting of salivary mucus, animal matter, and phosphate of lime. Cream of tartar. (Chem.) See under Cream. — Tartar emetic (Med. Chem.), a double tartrate of potassium and basic antimony. It is a poisonous white crystalline substance having a sweetish metallic taste, and used in medicine as a sudorific and emetic.
Tartar
Tar´tar, a. Of or pertaining to Tartary in Asia, or the Tartars.
Tartareous
Tar•ta´re•ous, a. [Cf. 1st Tartarous.]
1. Consisting of tartar; of the nature of tartar.
2. (Bot.) Having the surface rough and crumbling; as many lichens are tartareous. { Tar•ta´ri•an, Tar•tar´ic } a. Of or pertaining to Tartary in Asia, or the Tartars. Tartarian lamb (Bot.), Scythian lamb. See Barometz.
Tartarize
Tar´tar•ize, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tartarized p. pr. & vb. n. Tartarizing ] [Cf. F. tartariser.] (Chem.) To impregnate with, or subject to the action of, tartar. [R.] Tartarized antimony (Med. Chem.), tartar emetic.
Tartarize
Tar´tar•ize, v. t. To cause to resemble the Tartars and their civilization, as by conquest.
Tartini’s tones
Tar•ti"ni’s tones [From Tartini, an Italian violinist, who discovered them in 1754.] See the Note under Tone.
Tartness
Tart´ness, n. The quality or state of being tart.
Syn. — Acrimony; sourness; keenness; poignancy; severity; asperity; acerbity; harshness. See Acrimony.
Tartralic
Tar•tral´ic, a. [From Tartar the chemical compound.] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained as a white amorphous deliquescent substance, C8H10O11; — called also ditartaric, tartrilic, or tartrylic acid.
Tartramate
Tar•tram´ate, n. (Chem.) A salt of tartramic acid.
Tartrate
Tar´trate, n. [Cf. F. tartrate.] (Chem.) A salt of tartaric acid.
Tartrelic
Tar•trel´ic, a. [From Tartar the chemical compound.] (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or designating, an anhydride, C4H4O5, of tartaric acid, obtained as a white crystalline deliquescent substance.
Tartronate
Tar´tro•nate, n. (Chem.) A salt of tartronic acid.
Tas, n. [F.] A heap. [Obs.] "The tas of bodies slain." Chaucer.
Tas, v. t. To tassel. [Obs.] "A purse of leather tassed with silk." Chaucer.
Tasco
Tas´co, n. [Cf. Sp. tasconio.] A kind of clay for making melting pots. Percy Smith.
Task (task), n. [OE. taske, OF. tasque, F. tâche, for tasche, LL. tasca, taxa, fr. L. taxare to rate, appraise, estimate. See Tax, n. & v. ]
1. Labor or study imposed by another, often in a definite quantity or amount.
"Ma task of servile toil." Milton.
"Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close." Longfellow.
2. Business; employment; undertaking; labor.
"His mental powers were equal to greater tasks." Atterbury. To take to task. See under Take.
Syn. — Work; labor; employment; business; toil; drudgery; study; lesson; stint.
Task, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tasked p. pr. & vb. n. Tasking.]
1. To impose a task upon; to assign a definite amount of business, labor, or duty to.
"There task thy maids, and exercise the loom." Dryden.
2. To oppress with severe or excessive burdens; to tax.
3. To charge; to tax, as with a fault.
"Too impudent to task me with those errors." Beau. & Fl.
Taskwork
Task´work, n. Work done as a task; also work done by the job; piecework.
Taslet
Tas´let, n. [See Tasse a piece of armor.] A piece of armor formerly worn to guard the thighs; a tasse.
Tasmanian
Tas•ma´ni•an (taz•ma"ni• an), a. Of or pertaining to Tasmania, or Van Diemen’s Land. — n. A native or inhabitant of Tasmania; specifically (Ethnol.), in the plural, the race of men that formerly inhabited Tasmania, but is now extinct. Tasmanian cider tree. (Bot.) See the Note under Eucalyptus. — Tasmanian devil. (Zoöl.) See under Devil. — Tasmanian wolf (Zoöl.), a savage carnivorous marsupial; — called also zebra wolf. See Zebra wolf, under Wolf.
Tassel
Tas´sel, n. (Falconry) A male hawk. See Tercel.
Tassel
Tas´sel, n. [See Teasel.] A kind of bur used in dressing cloth; a teasel.
Tassel
Tas´sel, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tasseled or Tasselled; p. pr. & vb. n. Tasseling or Tasselling.] To put forth a tassel or flower; as maize tassels.
Tasset
Tas´set, n. [See Tasse.] A defense for the front of the thigh, consisting of one or more iron plates hanging from the belt on the lower edge of the corselet.
Tastable
Tast´a•ble (tast"a•b’l), a. Capable of worthy of being tasted; savory; relishing.
Taste (tast), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Tasting.] [OE. tasten to feel, to taste, OF. taster, F. tater to feel, to try by the touch, to try, to taste, (assumed) LL. taxitare, fr. L. taxare to touch sharply, to estimate. See Tax, v. t.]
1. To try by the touch; to handle; as to taste a bow. [Obs.] Chapman.
"Taste it well and stone thou shalt it find." Chaucer.
2. To try by the touch of the tongue; to perceive the relish or flavor of (anything) by taking a small quantity into a mouth. Also used figuratively.
"When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine." John ii. 9.
"When Commodus had once tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse." Gibbon.
3. To try by eating a little; to eat a small quantity of.
"I tasted a little of this honey." 1 Sam. xiv. 29.
4. To become acquainted with by actual trial; to essay; to experience; to undergo.
"He … should taste death for every man." Heb. ii. 9.
5. To partake of; to participate in; — usually with an implied sense of relish or pleasure.
"Thou … wilt taste
No pleasure, though in pleasure, solitary." Milton.
Taste, n.
1. The act of tasting; gustation.
2. A particular sensation excited by the application of a substance to the tongue; the quality or savor of any substance as perceived by means of the tongue; flavor; as the taste of an orange or an apple; a bitter taste; an acid taste; a sweet taste.
3. (Physiol.) The one of the five senses by which certain properties of bodies (called their taste, savor, flavor) are ascertained by contact with the organs of taste. Taste depends mainly on the contact of soluble matter with the terminal organs (connected with branches of the glossopharyngeal and other nerves) in the papillae on the surface of the tongue. The base of the tongue is considered most sensitive to bitter substances, the point to sweet and acid substances.
4. Intellectual relish; liking; fondness; — formerly with of, now with for; as he had no taste for study.
"I have no taste
Of popular applause." Dryden.
5. The power of perceiving and relishing excellence in human performances; the faculty of discerning beauty, order, congruity, proportion, symmetry, or whatever constitutes excellence, particularly in the fine arts and belles-letters; critical judgment; discernment.
6. Manner, with respect to what is pleasing, refined, or in accordance with good usage; style; as music composed in good taste; an epitaph in bad taste.
7. Essay; trial; experience; experiment. Shak.
8. A small portion given as a specimen; a little piece tasted or eaten; a bit. Bacon.
9. A kind of narrow and thin silk ribbon.
Syn. — Savor; relish; flavor; sensibility; gout. — Taste, Sensibility, Judgment. Some consider taste as a mere sensibility, and others as a simple exercise of judgment; but a union of both is requisite to the existence of anything which deserves the name. An original sense of the beautiful is just as necessary to aesthetic judgments, as a sense of right and wrong to the formation of any just conclusions on moral subjects. But this "sense of the beautiful" is not an arbitrary principle. It is under the guidance of reason; it grows in delicacy and correctness with the progress of the individual and of society at large; it has its laws, which are seated in the nature of man; and it is in the development of these laws that we find the true "standard of taste."
"What, then, is taste, but those internal powers,
Active and strong, and feelingly alive
To each fine impulse? a discerning sense
Of decent and sublime, with quick disgust
From things deformed, or disarranged, or gross
In species? This, nor gems, nor stores of gold,
Nor purple state, nor culture, can bestow,
But God alone, when first his active hand
Imprints the secret bias of the soul." Akenside. Taste of buds, or Taste of goblets (Anat.), the flask-shaped end organs of taste in the epithelium of the tongue. They are made up of modified epithelial cells arranged somewhat like leaves in a bud.
Taster
Tast´er, n.
1. One who tastes; especially, one who first tastes food or drink to ascertain its quality.
"Thy tutor be thy taster, ere thou eat." Dryden.
2. That in which, or by which, anything is tasted, as a dram cup, a cheese taster, or the like.
3. (Zoöl.) One of a peculiar kind of zooids situated on the polyp-stem of certain Siphonophora. They somewhat resemble the feeding zooids, but are destitute of mouths. See Siphonophora.
Tasty
Tast´y, a. [ Compar. Tastier superl. Tastiest.]
1. Having a good taste; — applied to persons; as a tasty woman. See Taste, n. , 5.
2. Being in conformity to the principles of good taste; elegant; as tasty furniture; a tasty dress.
Tat, n. [Hind. tat.] Gunny cloth made from the fiber of the Corchorus olitorius, or jute. [India]
Tataupa
Ta•tau´pa, n. [From the native name.] (Zoöl.) A South American tinamou ( Crypturus tataupa).
Tatch, n. [F. tache spot. See Techy.] A spot or stain; also a trick. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.
Tath, obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Ta, to take.
Tath, n. [Prov. E.; of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. ta dung, taa the grass of a manured pasture, teja to manure. rad.58. Cf. Ted.]
1. Dung, or droppings of cattle. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
2. The luxuriant grass growing about the droppings of cattle in a pasture. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Tatou
Ta•tou´, n. [Cf. Tatouay.] (Zoöl.) The giant armadillo ( Priodontes gigas) of tropical South America. It becomes nearly five feet long including the tail. It is noted for its burrowing powers, feeds largely upon dead animals, and sometimes invades human graves.
Tatouhou
Tat´ou•hou, n. [Cf. Tatouay.] (Zoöl.) The peba.
Tatt, v. t. & i. To make (anything) by tatting; to work at tatting; as tatted edging.
Tatter
Tat´ter, n. One who makes tatting. Caulfield & S. (Doct. of Needlework).
Tatter
Tat´ter, v. t. [ p. p. Tattered ] To rend or tear into rags; — used chiefly in the past participle as an adjective.
"Where waved the tattered ensigns of Ragfair." Pope.
Tatterdemalion
Tat•ter•de•mal´ion, n. [ Tatter + OF. desmaillier to break the meshes of, to tear: cf. OF. maillon long clothes, swadding clothes, F. maillot. See Tatter, and Mail armor.] A ragged fellow; a ragamuffin. L’Estrange.
Tattle
Tat´tle, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tattled p. pr. & vb. n. Tattling ] [Akin to OE. tateren, LG. tateln, D. tateren to stammer, and perhaps to E. titter.]
1. To prate; to talk idly; to use many words with little meaning; to chat.
"The tattling quality of age, which is always narrative." Dryden.
2. To tell tales; to communicate secrets; to be a talebearer; as a tattling girl.
Tattling
Tat´tling, a. Given to idle talk; apt to tell tales. — Tat´tling•ly, adv.
Tattoo
Tat•too´, n. [Earlier taptoo, D. taptoe; tap a tap, faucet + toe to, shut ( i. e., the taps, or drinking houses, shut from the soldiers).] (Mil.) A beat of drum, or sound of a trumpet or bugle, at night, giving notice to soldiers to retreat, or to repair to their quarters in garrison, or to their tents in camp. The Devil’s tattoo. See under Devil.
Tattoo
Tat•too´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tattooed p. pr. & vb. n. Tattooing.] [Of Polynesian origin; cf. New Zealand ta to tattoo, tatu puncturation (in Otaheite).] To color, as the flesh, by pricking in coloring matter, so as to form marks or figures which can not be washed out.
Tau, n. [Gr. tay^ the letter τ (English T).] (Zoöl.) The common American toadfish; — so called from a marking resembling the Greek letter tau (τ). Tau cross. See Illust. 6, of Cross.
Taught, a. See Taut. Totten.
Taught, imp. & p. p. of Teach. [AS. imp. taehte, p. p. getaeht.] See Teach.
Taunt, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Taunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Taunting.] [Earlier, to tease; probably fr. OF. tanter to tempt, to try, for tenter. See Tempt.] To reproach with severe or insulting words; to revile; to upbraid; to jeer at; to flout.
"When I had at my pleasure taunted her." Shak.
Syn. — To deride; ridicule; mock; jeer; flout; revile. See Deride.
Taunting
Taunt´ing, a. & n. from Taunt, v.
"Every kind of insolent and taunting reflection." Burke.
Taur, n. [L. Taurus.] The constellation Taurus. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Tauridor
Tau•ri•dor´, n. [See Toreador.] A bullfighter; a toreador. Sir W. Scott.
Taurine
Tau´rine, a. [L. taurinus, fr. taurus a bull. See Taurus.] (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the genus Taurus, or cattle.
Taurine
Tau´rine, n. [So named because it was discovered in the bile of the ox. See Taurus.] (Physiol. Chem.) A body occurring in small quantity in the juices of muscle, in the lungs, and elsewhere, but especially in the bile, where it is found as a component part of taurocholic acid, from which it can be prepared by decomposition of the acid. It crystallizes in colorless, regular six-sided prisms, and is especially characterized by containing both nitrogen and sulphur, being chemically amido-isethionic acid, C2H7NSO3.
Tauromachian
Tau•ro•ma´chi•an, a. [See Tauromachy.] Of or pertaining to bullfights. — n. A bullfighter.
Tauromachy
Tau•rom´a•chy, n. [Gr. tayromachi•a; tay^ros bull + ma•chh fight.] Bullfighting.
Taurus
Tau´rus (ta"rus), n. [L., akin to Gr. tay^ros, and E. steer. See Steer a young ox.]
1. (Astron.) (a) The Bull; the second in order of the twelve signs of the zodiac, which the sun enters about the 20th of April; — marked thus [&taurus;] in almanacs. (b) A zodiacal constellation, containing the well- known clusters called the Pleiades and the Hyades, in the latter of which is situated the remarkably bright Aldebaran.
2. (Zoöl.) A genus of ruminants comprising the common domestic cattle.
Taut, a. [Dan. taet; akin to E. tight. See Tight.]
1. (Naut.) Tight; stretched; not slack; — said esp. of a rope that is tightly strained.
2. Snug; close; firm; secure. Taut hand (Naut.), a sailor’s term for an officer who is severe in discipline.
Tautegorical
Tau•te•gor´ic•al, a. [Gr., for the same + to speak. Cf. Allegory.] Expressing the same thing with different words; — opposed to allegorical. [R.] Coleridge.
Tautologist
Tau•tol´o•gist, n. One who uses tautological words or phrases.
Tautologize
Tau•tol´o•gize, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Tautologized p. pr. & vb. n. Tautologizing ] To repeat the same thing in different words.
Tautology
Tau•tol´o•gy, n. [L. tautologia, Gr. : cf. F. tautologie.] (Rhet.) A repetition of the same meaning in different words; needless repetition of an idea in different words or phrases; a representation of anything as the cause, condition, or consequence of itself, as in the following lines: —
"The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers,
And heavily in clouds brings on the day." Addison.
Syn. — Repetition. — Tautology, Repetition. There may be frequent repetitions (as in legal instruments) which are warranted either by necessity or convenience; but tautology is always a fault, being a sameness of expression which adds nothing to the sense or the sound.
Tautomeric
Tau•to•mer´ic, a. (Chem.) Relating to, or characterized by, tautomerism.
Tautophony
Tau•toph´o•ny, n. [Gr. ;, for the same + voice.] Repetition of the same sound.
Tavern
Tav´ern, n. [OE. taverne, F. taverne, from L. taberna a hut, booth, tavern. Cf. Table, Tabernacle.] A public house where travelers and other transient guests are accomodated with rooms and meals; an inn; a hotel; especially, in modern times, a public house licensed to sell liquor in small quantities.
Taverner
Tav´ern•er, n. [F. tavernier, L. tabernarius.] One who keeps a tavern. Chaucer. Camden.
Taverning
Tav´ern•ing, n. A feasting at taverns. [Obs.] "The misrule of our tavernings." Bp. Hall.
Tavernman
Tav´ern•man, n. ; pl. Tavernmen . The keeper of a tavern; also a tippler. [Obs.]
Taw, v. t. [Cf. Tew to tow, Tow, v. t.] To push; to tug; to tow. [Obs.] Drayton.
Taw, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tawed p. pr. & vb. n. Tawing.] [OE. tawen, tewen, AS. tawian to prepare; cf. D. touwen, Goth. tewa order, taujan to do, and E. tool. rad.64. Cf. 1st Tew, Tow the coarse part of flax.]
1. To prepare or dress, as hemp, by beating; to tew; hence, to beat; to scourge. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
2. To dress and prepare, as the skins of sheep, lambs, goats, and kids, for gloves, and the like, by imbuing them with alum, salt, and other agents, for softening and bleaching them.
Tawdry
Taw´dry, a. [ Compar. Tawdrier superl. Tawdriest.] [Said to be corrupted from Saint Audrey, or Auldrey, meaning Saint Ethelreda, implying therefore, originally, bought at the fair of St. Audrey, where laces and gay toys of all sorts were sold. This fair was held in Isle Ely, and probably at other places, on the day of the saint, which was the 17th of October.]
1. Bought at the festival of St. Audrey. [Obs.]
"And gird in your waist,
For more fineness, with a tawdry lace." Spenser.
2. Very fine and showy in colors, without taste or elegance; having an excess of showy ornaments without grace; cheap and gaudy; as a tawdry dress; tawdry feathers; tawdry colors.
"He rails from morning to night at essenced fops and tawdry courtiers." Spectator.
Tawniness
Taw´ni•ness, n. The quality or state of being tawny.
Tawny
Taw´ny, a. [ Compar. Tawnier superl. Tawniest.] [F. tanne, p. p. of tanner to tan. See Tan, v. t. & n. Cf. Tenne.] Of a dull yellowish brown color, like things tanned, or persons who are sunburnt; as tawny Moor or Spaniard; the tawny lion. "A leopard’s tawny and spotted hide." Longfellow.
Taws, n. [See Taw to beat.] A leather lash, or other instrument of punishment, used by a schoolmaster. [Written also tawes, tawis, and tawse.] [Scot.]
"Never use the taws when a gloom can do the turn." Ramsay.
Tax, n. [F. taxe, fr. taxer to tax, L. taxare to touch, sharply, to feel, handle, to censure, value, estimate, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch. See Tangent, and cf. Task, Taste.]
1. A charge, especially a pecuniary burden which is imposed by authority. Specifically: — (a) A charge or burden laid upon persons or property for the support of a government.
"A farmer of taxes is, of all creditors, proverbially the most rapacious." Macaulay. (b) Especially, the sum laid upon specific things, as upon polls, lands, houses, income, etc.; as a land tax; a window tax; a tax on carriages, and the like. Taxes are annual or perpetual, direct or indirect, etc. (c) A sum imposed or levied upon the members of a society to defray its expenses.
2. A task exacted from one who is under control; a contribution or service, the rendering of which is imposed upon a subject.
3. A disagreeable or burdensome duty or charge; as a heavy tax on time or health.
4. Charge; censure. [Obs.] Clarendon.
5. A lesson to be learned; a task. [Obs.] Johnson. Tax cart, a spring cart subject to a low tax. [Eng.]
Syn. — Impost; tribute; contribution; duty; toll; rate; assessment; exaction; custom; demand.
Tax, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Taxed p. pr. & vb. n. Taxing.] [Cf. F. taxer. See Tax, n. ]
1. To subject to the payment of a tax or taxes; to impose a tax upon; to lay a burden upon; especially, to exact money from for the support of government.
"We are more heavily taxed by our idleness, pride, and folly than we are taxed by government." Franklin.
2. (Law) To assess, fix, or determine judicially, the amount of; as to tax the cost of an action in court.
3. To charge; to accuse; also to censure; — often followed by with, rarely by of before an indirect object; as to tax a man with pride.
"I tax you, you elements, with unkindness." Shak.
"Men’s virtues I have commended as freely as I have taxed their crimes." Dryden.
"Fear not now that men should tax thine honor." M. Arnold.
Taxability
Tax•a•bil´i•ty, n. The quality or state of being taxable; taxableness.
Taxation
Tax•a´tion, n. [F. taxation, L. taxatio a valuing, estimation, from L. taxare. See Tax.]
1. The act of laying a tax, or of imposing taxes, as on the subjects of a state, by government, or on the members of a corporation or company, by the proper authority; the raising of revenue; also a system of raising revenue.
2. (Law) The act of taxing, or assessing a bill of cost.
3. Tax; sum imposed. [R.] Daniel.
4. Charge; accusation. [Obs.] Shak.
Taxgatherer
Tax´gath•er•er, n. One who collects taxes or revenues. — Tax´gath•er•ing, n.
Taxidermist
Tax´i•der•mist, n. A person skilled in taxidermy.
Taxidermy
Tax´i•der•my, n. [Gr. ta•xis an arranging, arrangement (fr. ta•ssein to arrange) + a skin, from to skin: cf. F. taxidermie. See Tactics, Tear, v. t.] The art of preparing, preserving, and mounting the skins of animals so as to represent their natural appearance, as for cabinets.
Taxology
Tax•ol´o•gy, n. [Gr. ta•xis arrangement + -logy.] (Biol.) Same as Taxonomy.
Taxonomist
Tax•on´o•mist (taks•on"o•mist), n. One skilled in taxonomy.
Taxor
Tax´or, n. [NL.] Same as Taxer, n. , 2.