Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary 1908/T Tax



the twentieth letter in our alphabet, its sound that of the hard dental mute, produced by the tip of the tongue being brought into contact with the base of the upper teeth: as a medieval numeral=160;  T =160,000: something fashioned like a T, or having a cross section like a T—also written tee and sometimes tau.—ns. ', a bandage composed of two strips fashioned in the shape of the letter T, as for use about the perineum; ', a four-wheeled pleasure-vehicle without top, having a T-shaped body; ', a plain cotton made for the India and China market—stamped with a T; ', a tau-cross; ', a T-shaped plate, as for strengthening a joint in a wooden framework; ', a rail, as for a railway, having a T-like cross section; , a ruler shaped like the letter T, used in mechanical and architectural drawing.—To a T, with perfect exactness; Be marked with a T, to be branded as a thief.

Tab, tab, n. a small tag, flap, or strap, forming an appendage of something: reckoning, tally, check.

Tabanus, ta-bā′nus, n. a genus of flies, including the horse-flies. [L.]

Tabard, tab′ard, n. a military cloak of the 15th and 16th centuries, now a loose sleeveless coat worn by heralds.—n. , one who wears a tabard. [O. Fr.,—Low L. tabardum; perh. conn, with L. tapete, tapestry.]

Tabaret, tab′a-ret, n. an upholsterer's silk stuff, with alternate stripes of watered and satin surface. [Tabby.]

Tabasheer, Tabasbir, tab-a-shēr′, n. a substance, consisting chiefly of silica, sometimes found in the cavities or tubular parts of the stems of bamboos and other large grasses, and prized by the Hindus as a tonic, &c., prepared by imperfect calcination and trituration. [Hind. tabāshīr.]

Tabby, tab′i, n. a coarser kind of waved or watered silk: an artificial stone, a mixture of lime, shells, gravel, stones, and water: a female cat—also '.—adj. brindled: diversified in colour.—v.t. to water or cause to look wavy:—pa.t. and pa.p. —n. ', a more delicate kind of tabby resembling damask, used for window-curtains. [Fr. tabis—Ar. &apos;attābī, a kind of rich, waved silk—&apos;Attabiya, the quarter in Bagdad where first made.]

Tabefaction, tab-ē-fak′shun, n. a wasting away from disease.—v.t. ', to emaciate.—v.i. to lose flesh, to waste away.—ns. ', a gradual wasting away; '.—adjs. '; '; '; '.—adv. '.—n. '.—adj. ', causing tabes.—n. , state of one affected with tabes.—Tabes dorsalis, the same as locomotor ataxia. [L. tabes, a wasting, tabēre, to waste away.]

Tabella, tā-bel′a, n. a medicated lozenge or hard electuary.—adj. ', tabular.—n. ', an official scrivener in the Roman empire, and in France down to 1761. [L. tabella, dim. of tabula, a table.]

Taber, v.i. (B.). Same as Tabour.

Taberd, tab′ėrd, n. Same as Tabard.

Tabernacle, tab′ėr-na-kl, n. (B.) the movable tent carried by the Jews through the desert, and used as a temple: a tent: the human body as the temporary abode of the soul: a place of worship or sacred place: (R.C.) the place in which the consecrated elements of the Eucharist are kept: a socket permitting a mast to be lowered beneath bridges.—v.i. to dwell: to abide for a time.—adj. .—Tabernacle work (archit.), ornamental work over niches, stalls, &c. with canopies and pinnacles, or any work in which such forms a characteristic feature.—Feast of tabernacles, a Jewish autumn festival, celebrating the sojourning of the children of Israel in the wilderness (Lev. xxiii. 43), and the gathering-in of all the fruits of the year (Ex. xxiii. 16). [L. tabernaculum, double dim. of taberna, a hut, shed of boards.]

Tablature, tab′la-tūr, n. something tabular: a painting on a wall or ceiling: a picture in general: a method of musical notation, principally employed in the 15th and 16th centuries for the lute: (anat.) a division of the skull into two tables. [Fr.,—L. tabula, a board.]

Table, tā′bl, n. a smooth, flat slab or board, with legs, used as an article of furniture: supply of food, entertainment: the company at a table: the board or table on which a game is played, as billiards, backgammon, draughts: a surface on which something is written or engraved: that which is cut or written on a flat surface: a flat gravestone supported on pillars: an inscription: a condensed statement: syllabus or index; (B.) a writing tablet.—adj. of or pertaining to a table, or the food partaken from the table.—v.t. to make into a table or catalogue: to lay (money) on the table: to pay down: to lay on the table—i.e. to postpone consideration of.—ns. ', light beer for common use; ', a book of tablets, on which anything is written without ink: a note-book: a book of tables, as of weights, measures, &c.; ', a cloth usually of linen, for covering a table, esp. at meals; ', a cloth for covering a table, esp. at other than meal-times; Table-d'hôte a meal for several persons at the same hour and at fixed prices; ', as many as a table will hold; ', an extensive region of elevated land with a plain-like or undulating surface: a plateau; ', a board at the side of a table which can be put up or down to vary the size of the table; ', linen table-cloths, napkins, &c.; ', an allowance granted to general officers in the army, and flag-officers in the navy, to enable them to fulfil the duties of hospitality within their respective commands; ', production of raps on tables by alleged spiritual agency.—n.pl. ', the game of backgammon.—ns. ', one of the largest spoons used at table; ', as much as will fill a table-spoon; ', familiar conversation, as that round a table, during and after meals; ', movements of tables or other objects, attributed by spiritualists to the agency of spirits—by rational persons to involuntary muscular action—similarly ', '; ', dishes, spoons, knives, forks, &c. for table use.—adv. , like a table—of the communion-table, with the ends east and west—opp. to Altar-wise.—ns. ', the setting of type for tables, columns of figures, &c.; ', the act of tabling or forming into tables: (carp.) a rude dove-tailing: (naut.) a broad hem on the skirts of sails.—The Lord's Table, the table at which the Lord's Supper is partaken, or on which the elements are laid: the Lord's Supper.—Fence the tables (see Fence); Lay on the table, to lay aside any proposed measure indefinitely, or for future discussion; Lie on the table, to be laid upon the table; Turn the tables, to bring about a complete reversal of circumstances. [O. Fr. table—L. tabula, a board.]

Tableau, tab′lō, n. a picture: a striking and vivid representation:—pl. Tableaux —Tableau vivant, a representation of a historical or other personage by a motionless living person dressed in suitable costume. [Fr.,—L. tabula, a painting.]

Tablet, tab′let, n. a small flat surface: something flat on which to write, paint, &c.: a confection in a flat square form.—n. , a small tablet containing a certain definite portion of some drug, a troche or lozenge. Registered trade mark. [Dim. of table.]

Taboo, Tabu, ta-bōō′, n. an institution among the Polynesians, forming a penal system based on religious sanctions, by which certain things are held sacred or consecrated, and hence prohibited to be used—by a natural transference of meaning by association of ideas becoming equivalent to 'unholy,' 'accursed'—also ', ', and : any prohibition, interdict, restraint, ban, exclusion, ostracism.—v.t. to forbid approach to: to forbid the use of:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p.  [Polynesian tapu—prob. ta, to mark, pu, expressing intensity.]

Tabor, tā′bor, n. a camp amongst the ancient nomadic Slavs and Turks, inside a ring of wagons.

Taborite, tā′bor-īt, n. one of the more extreme party of the Hussites, as opposed to the Calixtines or Utraquists, so named from their headquarters being at Mount Tabor, 24 miles N.E. of Pisek.

Tabour, Tabor, tā′bor, n. a small drum like the timbrel or tambourine without jingles, usually played with one stick, and in combination with a fife.—v.i. to play on a tabour: to beat lightly and often:—pr.p. pa.p. —ns. ' (Shak.), one who beats the tabour; ' (Shak.), a tabour or small drum; ', ', a small tabour or drum;  (Spens.), a labourer. [O. Fr. tabour (Fr. tambour)—Pers. tambūr, a kind of cithern.]

Tabouret, tab′ōō-ret, n. a cushioned seat, without arms or back, highly ornamented: a frame for embroidery: a needle-case.

Tabu. Same as Taboo.

Tabular, tab′ū-lar, adj. of the form of, or pertaining to, a table: having a flat surface: arranged in a table or schedule, computed from tables: having the form of laminæ or plates.—ns. ', a writing-tablet, a legal record: a frontal: a dissepiment in corals, &c.; ', the act of tabularising or forming into tables: the state of being tabularised.—v.t. ', to put in a tabular form: to tabulate:—pr.p. pa.p. —adv. '.—v.t. ', to reduce to tables or synopses: to shape with a flat surface.—n. ', the act of forming into tables.

Tacahout, tak′a-howt, n. an Arab name for the small gall formed on the tamarisk-tree, and used as one source for obtaining gallic acid.

Tacamahac, tak′a-ma-hak, n. a gum-resin yielded by several tropical trees. [South American.]

Tac-au-tac, tak′-ō-tak′, n. in fencing, the parry combined with the riposte, also a series of close attacks and parries between fencers of equal skill. [Fr.]

Tace, tā′sē, be silent.—Tace is Latin for a candle, a phrase understood as requesting or promising silence. [L., imper. of tacēre, to be silent.]

Tache, tash, n. (B.) a fastening or catch. [Tack.]

Tache, tash, n. a spot, stain, or freckle: a moral blemish: a characteristic. [Fr.]

Tachometer, tā-kom′e-tėr, n. an instrument for measuring variations in the velocity of machines.—Also . [Gr. tachos, speed, metron, a measure.]

Tachygraphy, tā-kig′ra-fi, n. stenography, the art of writing in abbreviations.—n. '.—adjs. ', . [Gr. tachys, swift, graphein, to write.]

Tachylite, tak′i-līt, n. a black opaque natural glass, which results from the rapid cooling of molten basalt, occurring as a thin selvage to dikes and veins of intrusive basalt.—adj. .

Tachymeter, tā-kim′e-tėr, n. a surveying instrument—also '.—n. ', scientific use of the tachymeter.

Tacit, tas′it, adj. implied, but not expressed by words: silent, giving no sound.—adv. '.—n. '.—adj. ', habitually tacit or silent: not fond of talking: reserved in speech.—ns. ', one habitually taciturn; ', habitual silence: reserve in speaking.—adv. '. [L. tacitus, pa.p. of tacēre, to be silent.]

Tack, tak, n. a short, sharp nail with a broad head: a fastening, a long temporary stitch: the weather clew or foremost lower corner of any of the courses, or of any sail set with a boom or gaff, or of a flag, also the rope by which such clew or tack is confined or fastened: the course of a ship in reference to the position of her sails: a determinate course, the art of tacking, hence a change of policy, a strategical move: a shelf for drying cheese: term of a lease: adhesiveness, sticky condition, as of varnish, &c.—v.t. to attach or fasten, esp. in a slight manner, as by tacks.—v.i. to change the course or tack of a ship by shifting the position of the sails: to shift one's position, to veer.—adj. , adhesive, viscous. [Most prob. Celt., Ir. taca, a pin, Bret. tach, a nail.]

Tack, tak, n. (prov.) any distinctive and permanent flavour.

Tack, tak, n. food generally, fare, esp. of the bread kind, as hard tack, soft tack, &c.

Tacket, tak′et, n. (Scot.) a hobnail in the soles of strong shoes.

Tackle, tak′l, n. the ropes, rigging, &c. of a ship: tools, weapons: ropes, &c., for raising heavy weights: a pulley.—v.t. to harness: (prov.) to seize or take hold of, attack, fasten upon.—v.i. to get a hold of.—adj. ', made of ropes tackled together.—ns. ', furniture or apparatus belonging to the masts, yards, &c. of a ship: harness for drawing a carriage: tackle or instruments; , a tenant or lessee. [Scand., Sw. tackel—Ice. taka, to take.]

Tacky, tak′i, n. (U.S.) a poor ill-conditioned horse.

Tact, takt, n. adroitness in managing the feelings of persons dealt with: nice perception in seeing and doing exactly what is best in the circumstances: (mus.) the stroke in keeping time.—adjs. '; ', that may be touched or felt.—ns. ', state of being tactile: touchiness; ', act of touching: sense of touch.—adj. ', without tact.—n. '.—adj. ', relating to, or derived from, the sense of touch.—adv. '.—n. , the sense of touch. [L. tactus—tangĕre, tactum, to touch.]

Tactics, tak′tiks, n.sing. the science or art of manœuvring military and naval forces in the presence of the enemy: way or method of proceeding.—adjs. ', ', pertaining to tactics.—adv. '.—n. ', one skilled in tactics. [Gr. taktikē (technē, art, understood), art of arranging men in a field of battle—tassein, taxein, to arrange.]

Tadpole, tad′pōl, n. a young toad or frog in its first state, before the tail is absorbed and the limbs pushed forth.—n. Tad (U.S.), a street-boy. [A toad with a poll.]

Tædium, tē′di-um, n. weariness, tediousness. [L.]

Tael, tāl, n. the Chinese liang or ounce, equal to 1⅓ oz. avoir.: a money of account in China, equivalent to a tael weight of pure silver, or to about 1250 of the copper coin known as 'cash.' The value of the Haikwan tael, or customs tael, is about 4s. 9d. English, varying with the price of silver.

Ta'en, tān, a contraction of taken.

Tænia, tē′ni-a, n. a ribbon or fillet: the fillet above the architrave of the Doric order: a tapeworm.—n. ', a drug that destroys tapeworms.—adj. ', ribbon-like.—n. ', anything used to expel tapeworms.—adj. ', ribbon-like. [L.,—Gr. tainia, a band.]

Tafferel, taf′ėr-el, Taffrail, n. the upper part of a ship's stern timbers. [Dut. tafereel, a panel—tafel, a table—L. tabula, a table; cf. Ger. täfelei, flooring—tafel, a table.]

Taffeta, taf′e-ta, n. a thin glossy silk-stuff having a wavy lustre: (orig.) silk-stuff plainly woven.—Also . [It. taffetà—Pers. tāftah, woven—tāftan, to twist.]

Taffy, taf′i, n. Same as Toffy.

Taffy, taf′i, n. a Welshman—from Davy.

Tafia, taf′i-a, n. a variety of rum. [Malay.]

Taft, taft, v.t. in plumbing, to spread the end of a lead pipe outward so as to form a wide thin flange.

Tag, tag, n. a tack or point of metal at the end of a string: any small thing tacked or attached to another: any pendant or appendage, the tip of an animal's tail: the rabble collectively, anything mean.—v.t. to fit a tag or point to: to tack, fasten, or hang to: to dog or follow closely.—v.i. to make tags, to string words or ideas together: to go behind as a follower:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. tagged.—ns. ', a loosely connected end, the concluding part; ', anything that tags, an appendage.—n.pl. ', thin sheet-iron.—n. and adj. ', a fluttering rag, a tatter: the rabble, or denoting it—the same as Rag-tag, often in phrase Tagrag and bobtail.—ns. ', a disease in sheep, in which, the tail is excoriated through diarrhœa; ', a worm with a tail like a tag: a hanger-on, parasite. [A weaker form of tack.]

Tag, tag, n. a children's game in which the object is for the player to chase the rest until he touches one, who then takes his place as .—v.t. to touch or hit in this game.

Taghairm, tag′erm, n. an ancient mode of divination among the Scotch Highlanders, in which a man was wrapped in a fresh bullock's hide and left by a running stream to wait for inspiration. [Gael.]

Taglia, tal′ya, n. a rope and pulleys, tackle with a set of sheaves in a fixed block and another set in a movable block to which the weight is attached. [It.]

Taglioni, tal-yō′ni, n. a kind of overcoat, so called from the famous family of dancers, the most famous of whom was Maria Taglioni (1804-84).

Taha, tä′ha, n. an African weaver-bird of the family Ploceidæ.

Tahli, tä′li, n. a Hindu gold ornament worn by the wives of Brahmans.

Tahona, ta-hō′na, n. a crushing-mill for ores worked by horse-power. [Sp.,—Ar.]

Tai, tī, n. the Japanese bream.

Taic, tä′ik, adj. pertaining to the Tai, the chief race in the Indo-Chinese peninsula, including the Siamese, the Laos, &c.—n. the group of languages spoken by the Tai.

Taigle, tā′gl, v.t. (Scot.) to entangle, hinder.—v.i. to delay, tarry.

Tail, tāl, n. the posterior extremity of an animal, its caudal appendage: anything resembling a tail in appearance, position, &c.: the back, lower, or hinder part of anything: a retinue, suite: a queue or body of persons in single file: anything long and hanging, as a catkin, train of a comet, long curl of hair, &c.: in Turkey, a horse-tail, formerly carried before a pasha as an emblem of relative rank.—n. ', the board at the hinder end of a cart or wagon, which can be let down or removed, for convenience in unloading.—adj. Tailed, having a tail of a specified kind.—ns. ', the hind part of any animal, the tip of the tail: the end or finish of anything, the fag-end: (pl.) inferior corn sorted out from that of better quality; ', one of the rectrices or rudder-feathers of a bird's tail; ', the aft or lower gate of a canal lock.—n.pl. ', refuse, dregs.—adj. ', having no tail.—ns. ', a piece at the tail or end, esp. of a series, as of engravings; ', the suction pipe in a pump.—v.t. to fasten something to the tail of, as a dog, to fix something to one by way of joke.—ns. ', the channel in which water runs away below a mill-wheel; ', in coal-mining, a rope extending from the hind part of a car or kibble in a slightly inclined passage, by means of which the empties are drawn 'inby,' while the loaded cars are drawn 'outby.'—Lay, or Put, salt on the tail of (see Salt); Make neither head nor tail of anything (see Head); Turn tail, to run away, to shirk a combat; Twist the lion's tail (U.S.), to goad or insult the pacific and long-suffering British public feeling for political purposes in America; With the tail between the legs, in a cowardly way, after the manner of a beaten cur when he sneaks away. [A.S. tægel; Ger. zagel; Goth. tagl, hair.]

Tail, tāl, n. (law) the term applied to an estate which is cut off or limited to certain heirs.—ns. ', '. [Fr. taille, cutting. Cf. Entail.]

Tailor, tāl′ur, n. one whose business is to cut out and make men's clothes:—fem. '.—v.i. to work as a tailor.—v.t. to make clothes for.—ns. ', one of several Oriental small passerine birds which sew leaves together to form a nest: ', the business or work of a tailor.—adj. ', made by a tailor, esp. of plain, close-fitting garments for women, in imitation of men's. [Fr. tailleur—tailler, to cut.]

Tailzie, Tailye, tāl′yē, n. (law) a Scotch form of tail.

Taint, tānt, v.t. to tinge, moisten, or impregnate with anything noxious: to infect: to stain.—v.i. to be affected with something corrupting.—n. a stain or tincture: infection or corruption: a spot: a moral blemish.—adj. ', without taint, pure.—adv. ', without taint.—n.  (Shak.), taint, tinge, stain. [O. Fr. taint (Fr. teint), pa.p. of teindre, to dye—L. tingĕre, tinctum, to wet.]

T'âi-p'ing, tī-ping′, n. the name given by foreigners to one of the followers of Hung Hsiû-ch'wan (S'eiw-tseuen), who raised the standard of rebellion in China in 1851, and whose enterprise was finally suppressed in 1865 mainly through the vigour of Colonel Charles ('Chinese') Gordon, the hero of Khartoum.

Taisch, tāsh, n. the sound of the voice of a person about to die heard by some one at a distance beyond the range of ordinary sounds.—Also Task. [Gael. taibhs, taibhse, an apparition.]

Taj, täj, n. a crown, a distinctive head-dress, esp. the tall conical cap worn by Mohammedan dervishes—applied as expressing pre-eminence to the Taj Mahal, the magnificent mausoleum of Shah Jehan (1628-58) at Agra. [Pers.]

Take, tāk, v.t. to lay hold of: to get into one's possession: to catch: to capture: to captivate: to receive: to choose: to use: to allow: to understand: to agree to: to become affected with.—v.i. to catch: to have the intended effect: to gain reception, to please: to move or direct the course of: to have recourse to:—pa.t. took; pa.p. —n. quantity of fish taken or captured at one time.—ns. ', an imposition, fraud: that by which one is deceived; ', a burlesque representation of any one; '; ', act of taking or gaining possession: a seizing: agitation, excitement: (Spens. sickness: (Shak.) witchery: malignant influence.—adj. captivating: alluring.—adv. '.—n. ', quality of being taking or attractive.—adj. , attractive.—Take advantage of, to employ to advantage: to make use of circumstances to the prejudice of; Take after, to follow in resemblance; Take air, to be disclosed or made public; Take breath, to stop in order to breathe, to be refreshed; Take care, care of (see Care); Take down, to reduce: to bring down from a higher place, to lower: to swallow: to pull down: to write down; Take for, to mistake; Take French leave (see French); Take from, to derogate or detract from; Take heed, to be careful; Take heed to, to attend to with care; Take in, to enclose, to embrace: to receive: to contract, to furl, as a sail: to comprehend: to accept as true: to cheat: (Shak.) to conquer; Take in hand, to undertake; Take into one's head, to be seized with a sudden notion; Take in vain, to use with unbecoming levity or profaneness; Take in with, to deceive by means of; Take it out of, to extort reparation from: to exhaust the strength or energy of; Take leave (see Leave); Taken in, deceived, cheated; Take notice, to observe: to show that observation is made: (with of) to remark upon; Take off, to remove: to swallow: to mimic or imitate; Take on, to take upon: to claim a character: (coll.) to grieve; Take orders, to receive ordination; Take order with (Bacon), to check; Take out, to remove from within: to deduct: (Shak.) to copy; Take part, to share; Take place, to happen: to prevail; Take root, to strike out roots, to live and grow, as a plant: to be established; Take the field, to begin military operations; Take the wall of, to pass on the side nearest the wall: to get the advantage of; Take to, to apply to: to resort to: to be fond of; Take to heart, to feel sensibly; Take up, to lift, to raise: (Shak.) to borrow money, to buy on credit, to make up a quarrel: to employ, occupy or fill: to arrest: to comprise; Take up arms, to commence to fight; Take upon, to assume; Take up with, to be pleased or contented with, to form a connection with, to fall in love with: to lodge; Take with, to be pleased with. [M. E. taken—Scand.; Ice. taka pa.t. tók, pa.p. tekinn); conn. with L. tangĕre, tetig-i, to touch, and with Eng. tack.]

Talaria, tā-lā′ri-a, n.pl. the winged sandals of Hermes and other divinities.—adj. , pertaining to the ankles. [L.,—talus, the ankle.]

Talaunt, tal′awnt, n. (Spens.) talon.

Talbot, tal′bot, n. a broad-mouthed large-eared hound, usually white—apparently the same as the St Hubert's breed. [From the Talbot family.]

Talbotype, tal′bō-tīp, n. a photographic process invented by William Henry Fox Talbot (1800-77), a calotype.

Talc, talk, n. a mineral occurring in thin flakes, of a white or green colour and a soapy feel.—n. ', a massive variety of talc.—adjs. ', ', ', containing, consisting of, or like talc. [Fr. talc (Ger. talk)—Sp. talco—Ar. talq.]

Tale, tāl, n. a narrative or story: a fable: what is told or counted off: number: reckoning.—v.i. (obs.) to speak.—n. ', one who maliciously tells tales or gives information.—adj. ', given to tell tales or give information officiously.—n. act of telling secrets.—adj. ', abounding with stories.—n. ', one who tells stories, esp. officiously.—Be in a (or one) tale, to be in full accord; Old wives' tale, any marvellous story appealing to one's credulity; Tell one's (or its) own tale, to speak for one's self or itself; Tell tales, to play the informer; Tell tales out of school, to reveal confidential matters. [A.S. talu, a reckoning, a tale, also speech; Ger. zahl, a number.]

Talegalla, tal-e-gal′a, n. the brush-turkey, a genus of gallinaceous birds, in the same family as the mound-building Megapodes.—Also . [The latter part is probably from L. gallus, a cock.]

Talent, tal′ent, n. an ancient weight or denomination of money—in the Attic system of money (N.T.), 100 drachmæ made a mnâ (pound, Luke xix. 13), and 6000 made a talent; this talent weighed 57 lb. avoirdupois, and in value may be put roughly at about £213-£235, the mnâ at about £4: faculty: any natural or special gift: special aptitude: eminent ability: abundance.—adjs. ', possessing mental gifts; ', without talent. [L. talentum—Gr. talanton, a weight, a talent, from a root meaning to lift, as in tlēnai, to bear; akin to L. tollĕre, Ger. dulden, Scot. thole.]

Tales, tā′lēz, n.pl. a list of persons, apparently a selection from spectators in court, made by the sheriff or judge at a trial, to supply any defect in a jury or panel.—n. , a bystander so chosen.—Pray a tales, to plead that the number of jurymen be completed in this way. [From the phrase &apos;tales de circumstantibus,' tales, pl. of L. talis, such.]

Taliacotian, tal-i-a-kō′shi-an, adj. pertaining to the rhinoplastic operation of Tagliacozzi or Taliacotius (1546-99), in which the skin for the new nose was taken from the arm of the patient, the arm requiring to be kept in apposition with the face for about twenty days.

Talian, tal′i-an, n. an old Bohemian dance, or its music.

Talion, tal′i-on, n. the law of retaliation.—adj. . [L. talio, like punishment—talis, of such kind.]

Taliped, tal′i-ped, adj. club-footed: walking like the sloth.—n. a club-footed person.—n. , a club-foot: club-footedness: the distorted formation of the feet of the sloth. [L. talus, the ankle, pes, the foot.]

Talipot, tal′i-pot, n. an East Indian palm with fan-shaped leaves.—Also ', '. [Hind. tālpāt.]

Talisman, tal′is-man, n. a species of charm engraved on metal or stone when two planets are in conjunction, or when a star is at its culminating point, and supposed to exert some protective influence over the wearer of it: (fig.) something that produces extraordinary effects:—pl. '.—adjs. ', , pertaining to, or having the properties of, a talisman: magical. [Fr.,—Ar. tilsam—Late Ger. telesma, consecration, incantation—Gr. telein, to consecrate.]

Talk, tawk, v.i. to speak familiarly: to prattle: to reason.—n. familiar conversation: that which is uttered in familiar intercourse: subject of discourse: rumour.—adjs. ', capable of talking, or of being talked about; ', given to much talking: prating.—adv. '.—ns. '; ', a corrupt dialect: incessant chatter—also adj. '.—n. '.—adj. ', given to talking.—Talk against time, to keep on talking merely to fill up time, as often in parliament: Talk big, to talk boastfully; Talk down, to argue down; Talk from the point, to wander away from the proper question; Talk Greek, to talk above the understanding of one's hearers; Talking of, apropos of, with regard to; Talk over, to persuade, convince: to discuss, consider together; Talk round, to exhaust the subject: to bring to one's way of thinking by persuasive talk; Talk shop (see Shop); Talk to, to address: to rebuke; Talk up, to speak impudently or boldly to. [Prof. Skeat takes the M. E. talken from Scand., and that from Lithuanian; Sw. tolka (Ice. túlka), to interpret—Lith. tulkas, an interpreter. Prob., however, the M. E. talken is talen, talien, to speak, with formative -k, giving a freq. or dim. force; cf. Tale.]

Tall, tawl, adj. high, esp. in stature: lofty: long: sturdy: bold: courageous: great, remarkable: demanding much credulity, hardly to be believed.—n. . [Ety. very dub.; perh. conn. with W. tal, large.]

Tallage, tal′āj, n. a name applied to those taxes to which, under the Anglo-Norman kings, the demesne lands of the crown and all royal towns were subject—also '.—v.t. to lay an impost upon—also '.—adj. , subject to tallage.

Tallat, tal′at, n. (prov.) a hay-loft.—Also , .

Tallith, tal′ith, n. the mantle worn by the Jews at prayer. [Heb.]

Tallow, tal′ō, n. the fat of animals melted: any coarse, hard fat.—v.t. to grease with tallow.—ns. ', a candle made of tallow; ', ', (Shak.), a keech or lump of tallow: a low mean fellow; ', a dealer in tallow, candles, &c.; ', the trade or place of business of a tallow-chandler; ', a tallow-chandler; ', a yellow pasty-faced person.—adj. '.—n. ', the name given to trees of different kinds which produce a thick oil or vegetable tallow, or a somewhat resinous substance, capable of making candles.—adj. ', like tallow, greasy. [Old Dut. talgh, talch; Low Ger. talq, Ice. tólgr, tólg.]

Tally, tal′i, n. a stick cut or notched to match another stick, used to mark numbers or keep accounts by—(down to the beginning of the 19th century these were used in England for keeping accounts in Exchequer, answering the double purpose of receipts and public records): anything made to suit another:—pl. '.—v.t. to score with corresponding notches: to make to fit.—v.i. to correspond: to suit:—pa.t. and pa.p. —ns. ', one who keeps a tally; ', one who keeps a tally-shop: one who lives with a woman without marriage; ', a shop where goods are sold to be paid by instalments, the seller having one account-book which tallies with the buyer's; ', ', a mode of dealing by which dealers furnish certain articles on credit to their customers upon an agreement for the payment of the stipulated price by certain weekly or monthly instalments.—Live tally, to cohabit without marriage. [Fr. taille (It. taglia)—L. talea, a cutting. Cf. Tail (law).]

Tally-ho, tal′i-hō, interj. the huntsman's cry betokening that a fox has gone away: a four-in-hand pleasure-coach.—v.t. to urge on, as hounds.

Talma, tal′ma, n. a woman's loose cloak, generally hooded: a similar form of overcoat for men. [From F. J. Talma, the actor (1763-1826).]

Talmud, tal′mud, n. the name of the fundamental code of the Jewish civil and canonical law, comprising the Mishna and the Gemara, the former as the text, the latter as the commentary and complement.—There are two Talmuds, the one called the Talmud of the Occidentals, or the Jerusalem (Palestine) Talmud, which was closed at Tiberias in the end of the 4th century, and the other the Babylonian Talmud, emphatically styled 'our Talmud,' not completed till the end of the 5th century, and making use of the former.—adjs. ', '.—n, ', one learned in the Talmud.—adj. ', relating to, or contained in the Talmud. [Chaldee talmūd, instruction—lāmad, to learn.]

Talon, tal′on, n. the claw of a bird of prey.—adj. . [Fr. talon, through Low L., from L. talus, the heel.]

Talpa, tal′pa, n. the chief genus of the family Talpidæ, the moles: an encysted tumour on the head, a wen. [L., a mole.]

Taluk, ta-lōōk′, n. in south and western India, a subdivision of a district presided over as regards revenue matters by a tahsīldār—in Bengal, a tract of proprietary land.—n. . [Hind.]

Talus, tā′lus, n. the ankle-bone: (arch.) a slope: (fort.) the sloping part of a work: (geol.) a sloping heap of fragments at the foot of a steep rock. [L.]

Tamal, tä-mal′, n. a dish of crushed Indian corn highly seasoned, sold on the streets in Mexico, Texas, &c.—Also . [Sp.]

Tamandua, tä-man′dū-a, n. an arboreal ant-eater with prehensile tail.—n. Tamanoir the great ant-eater of tropical America. [Braz.]

Tamanu, tam′a-nōō, n. a lofty gamboge tree of the East Indies and Pacific Islands, its trunk yielding tacamabac. [East Ind.]

Tamara, tam′a-ra, n. a condiment much used in Italy, made of powdered cinnamon, cloves, coriander, &c. [East Ind.]

Tamarack, tam′a-rak, n. the American or black larch. [Amer. Ind]

Tamarin, tam′a-rin, n. a small South American squirrel-monkey.

Tamarind, tam′a-rind, n. a beautiful spreading East Indian tree, its pods filled with a pleasant, acidulous, sweet, reddish-black pulp, in which the seeds are embedded. [Tamarindus, Latinised from Ar. tamar-u'l Hind, 'date of India,' or perhaps rather, in Persian form, tamar-i-Hindī.]

Tamarisk, tam′ar-isk, n. a genus of Mediterranean evergreen shrubs with small white or pink flowers. [L. tamariscus.]

Tambac, tam′bak, n. agallochum or aloes-wood.—Also .

Tamboo, Tambu. See Taboo.

Tambour, tam′bōōr, n. a small, shallow drum: a frame on which muslin or other material is stretched for embroidering: a rich kind of gold and silver embroidery: silk or other stuff embroidered on a tambour: a cylindrical stone in the shaft of a column, a drum: a vestibule of timber-work serving to break the draught in a church-porch, &c.: a work formed of palisades, defending a gate, &c.—v.t. to embroider on a tambour.—v.i. to do tambour-work. [Fr. tambour. Cf. Tabour.]

Tambourine, tam-bōō-rēn′, n. a shallow drum with one skin and bells or jingles, and played on with the hand: a Provençal dance, also the music for such—(Spens.) . [Fr. tambourin, dim. of tambour.]

Tame, tām, adj. having lost native wildness and shyness: domesticated: gentle: spiritless: without vigour: dull, flat, uninspiring: wonted, accustomed.—v.t. to reduce to a domestic state: to make gentle: to reclaim: to civilise.—ns. ', ', ', '.—adjs. ', ', that may be tamed; '.—n. '.—adv. '.—ns. '; , one who tames. [A.S. tam; cog. with Ger. zahm.]

Tamil, tam′il, n. one of the Dravidian languages spoken in south-eastern India and the northern half of Ceylon, possessing a rich and varied literature: one of the Dravidian inhabitants of southern India and Ceylon.—adjs. ', ', ', '.

Tamin, tam′in, n. a thin worsted stuff, highly glazed.—Also ', ', .

Tamise, ta-mēz′, n. a trade name for various thin woollen fabrics.—n. , a cloth for straining liquids.

Tammany, tam′a-ni, n. the Tammany Society, a Democratic organisation in New York, notorious for the corrupt influence it has exerted in city politics. [From the name of an Indian chief, Tammanend, who is said to have signed the treaty with Penn.]

Tammuz, tam′uz, n. a Syrian deity, same as the Phœnician Adonis, a sun-god, worshipped with peculiar naturalistic rites by women among the Chaldæans, and even in Jerusalem (Ezek. viii. 14).

Tammy-norie, tam′i-nō′ri, n. (Scot.) a sea-bird, the auk or puffin.

Tam-o'-shanter, tam-ō-shan′tėr, n. a broad bonnet. [From the hero of Burns's famous poem.]

Tamp, tamp, v.t. to fill up, as a hole bored in a rock for blasting: to pack earth, &c., round, as a mine, to prevent an explosion in a wrong direction.—n. , the act of filling up a hole in a rock for blasting: the material used. [Tampion (q.v.).]

Tamper, tam′pėr, v.i. to try the temper of: to try little experiments without necessity or authority: to meddle: to practise secretly and unfairly.—n. . [A by-form of temper.]

Tampion, tamp′i-un, n. the stopper used to close the mouth of a cannon or mortar.—Also . [O. Fr. tampon, tapon—tape, a tap—Dut. tap, a bung.]

Tampon, tamp′on, n. (surg.) a. plug inserted in a cavity of the body in order to arrest hæmorrhage.—v.t. to plug tightly.—ns. ', ', ', '. [Tampion.]

Tam-tam. See Tom-tom.

Tan, tan, n. bark of the oak, &c., bruised and broken for tanning: a yellowish-brown colour.—v.t. to convert skins and hides into leather by steeping in vegetable solutions containing tannin: to make brown or tawny: to take the freshness from: (coll.) to beat.—v.i. to become tanned:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. tanned.—n.pl. ', the spent bark of the tanner's yard pressed into lumps, which harden on drying, and serve for fuel.—n. ' (hort.), a bark-bed.—adj. ', of the colour of tan.—ns. ' (Shak.), one tanned or scorched by the heat of the sun; ', ', an aqueous extract of tan-bark.—adj. '.—ns. ', act of tanning: browning from exposure to the sun: the act of steeping cast slabs of artificial marble in a solution of potash alum to harden it and make it insoluble; ', one who tans; ', a place for tanning; ', the art of tanning or converting into leather; ', ', a vat in which hides are steeped in liquor with tan; ', a yard or enclosure where leather is tanned. [A.S. tannian; cf. Dut. tanen, or prob. O. Fr. tan—Bret. tann, an oak. If the latter, then Old High Ger. tanna (Ger. tanne), fir, oak, is borrowed.]

Tana, tä′nä, n. a military or police station In India—also ', '.—ns. ', ', the commandant of a tana. [Hind. thāna.]

Tanager, tan′ā-jėr, n. any tanagrine bird, a member of the Tanagridæ, a family of the Passeriformes or perching birds, closely allied to the finches.—n. ', the name-giving genus of the family, now restricted to about a dozen species.—adjs. ', . [Braz. tangara.]

Tandem, tan′dem, adv. applied to the position of horses harnessed singly one before the other instead of abreast.—n. a team of horses (usually two) so harnessed: a bicycle or tricycle on which two ride one before the other. [Originated in university slang, in a play on the L. adv. tandem, at length.]

Tane, tān, pa.p. ta'en, taken.

Tang, tang, n. seaweed. [Tangle.]

Tang, tang, n. a twang or sharp sound.—v.t. to cause to ring.—v.i. to ring. [Imit., like twang.]

Tang, tang, n. a strong or offensive taste, esp. of something extraneous: relish: taste: specific flavour.—adj. . [A special use of tang, point.]

Tang, tang, n. a point, the tapering part of a knife or tool which goes into the haft. [Ice. tangi; cog. with tongs.]



Tangent, tan′jent, n. a line which touches a curve, and which when produced does not cut it.—ns. ', ', state of being tangent: a contact or touching.—adj. ', of or pertaining to a tangent: in the direction of a tangent.—n. '.—adv. , in the direction of a tangent.—Go off, or Fly off, at a tangent, to break off suddenly into a different line of thought, &c. [L. tangens, -entis, pr.p. of tangĕre, to touch.]

Tangerine, tan-je-rēn′, adj. relating to Tangiers on the Morocco coast.—n. a native of Tangiers: a Tangerine orange.

Tanghin, tang′gin, n. a vegetable poison of Madagascar, acting upon the heart like digitalis—formerly used for the judicial ordeal.

Tangible, tan′ji-bl, adj. perceptible by the touch: capable of being possessed or realised.—ns. ', a tactile sensation or object; ', quality of being tangible or perceptible to the touch; ', the state or quality of being tangible.—adv. '. [L. tangibilis—tangĕre.]

Tangie, tang′i, n. an Orcadian water-spirit, appearing as a seahorse, or man covered with seaweed.

Tangle, tang′gl, n. a knot of things united confusedly: an edible seaweed: a perplexity, complication: (Scot.) any long hanging thing, even a lank person: an apparatus for dredging.—v.t. to unite together confusedly: to interweave: to ensnare, entangle.—n. ' (U.S.), whisky, &c.—adj. ' (prov.), quarrelsome.—adv. '.—adj. ', in a tangle: united confusedly: covered with tangle or seaweed. [Scand.; Dan. tang, Ice. thang, seaweed.]

Tangram, tan′gram, n. a Chinese puzzle, consisting of a square of wood cut into seven pieces of various shapes.

Tangum, tang′gum, n. the Tibetan piebald horse.

Tanist, tan′ist, n. the chief or holder of lands, &c., in certain Celtic races, also the chief's elective successor.—n. , an ancient Celtic mode of tenure, according to which the right of succession lay not with the individual, but with the family in which it was hereditary, and by the family the holder of office or lands was elected. [Ir. and Gael. tanaiste, lord—tan, country.]

Tanite, tan′īt, n. an emery cement.

Tanjib, tan′jib, n. a kind of figured muslin made in Oude.—Also .

Tank, tangk, n. a large basin or cistern: a reservoir of water.—v.t. to cause to flow into a tank: to plunge into a tank.—ns. ', the act of storing oil, &c., in tanks: the price charged for such storage: the capacity of a tank or series of tanks; ', a railway-car for carrying petroleum in bulk in a long cylindrical tank; ', a locomotive that carries the water and coal it requires; ', a nematode worm in the mud of tanks in India. [Port. tanque (Sp. estanque, O. Fr. estang)—L. stagnum, a stagnant pool.]

Tanka, tan′ka, n. the boat population of Canton, inhabiting permanently the so-called tanka-boats, about 25 feet long.—Also .

Tankard, tangk′ard, n. a large vessel for holding liquors: a drinking-vessel with a lid. [O. Fr. tanquard, prob. from L. cantharus—Gr. kantharos.]

Tanner, tan′ėr, n. (slang) a sixpence. [Said to be Gipsy tano, little.]

Tannin, tan′in, n. an astringent substance found largely in oak-bark or gall-nuts, of great use in tanning.—n. ', a salt of tannic acid.—adjs. '; ', yielding tannin.—n. ', an enclosure spread with tan for riding.—Tannic acid, an acid forming the astringent principle of the bark of oak and other trees, used in tanning and in medicine. [Fr. tannin.]

Tanrec=Tenrec (q.v.).

Tansy, tan′zi, n. a genus of composite plants allied to Artemisia—Common tansy is a bitter, aromatic plant with small yellow flowers, common on old pasture: a pudding or cake flavoured with tansy, eaten at Easter. [O. Fr. tanasie, through Late L., from Gr. athanasia, immortality.]

Tantalise, tan′ta-līz, v.t. to torment by presenting something to excite desire, but keeping it out of reach.—ns. ', the act of tantalising: state of being tantalised; ', one who, or that which, tantalises.—adv. '.—ns. ', the punishment of Tantalus: a tormenting; ', a spirit-case that locks; ', a philosophical toy, having a siphon within the figure of a man whose chin is on a level with its bend. [Tantalus, in Gr. mythology, who stood in Tartarus up to his chin in water, with branches of fruit over his head, the water receding when he wished to drink, and the fruit when he wished to eat.]

Tantalum, tan′tal-um, n. a very rare metal of no practical importance, discovered in 1801, closely allied to columbium or niobium.

Tantalus, tan′ta-lus, n. the wood-ibis, a genus of birds of the stork family, quite distinct from the true ibises.

Tantamount, tan′ta-mownt, adj. amounting to so much or to the same: equivalent: equal in value or meaning.—n. ', the fact of being or having so much.—adv. ' (mus.), so much or too much. [O. Fr., tant—L. tantum, so much, so great, and O. Fr. amonter, to amount.]

Tantara, tan-tar′a, n. a blast on a trumpet or horn. [Imit.]

Tantivy, tan-tiv′i, adv. with great speed.—adj. swift, hasty.—v.i. to hurry off.—n. a hunting cry: a rapid movement, a rush. [Imit.]

Tantony, tan′tō-ni, n. the smallest pig in the litter—also Tantony pig: a petted servant or follower. [From St Anthony, who was attended by a pig.]

Tantra, tan′tra, n. in Sanscrit literature, one of the religious text-books of the numerous sects of S'âktas—i.e. worshippers of the S'akti, or active divine energy, personified in some female deity, esp. in one of the many forms of Pârvatî, the wife of S'iva.—ns. ', the doctrines of the tantras; ', a devotee of tantrism. [Sans. tantra, thread, fundamental doctrine.]

Tantrum, tan′trum, n. a capricious fit of ill-temper without adequate cause. [Prob. W. tant, a passion.]

Tantum Ergo, tan′tum er′gō, n. the fifth stanza of the hymn 'Pange, lingua, gloriosi corporis mysterium,' written for the office of the Festival of Corpus Christi, which St Thomas of Aquino drew up in 1263. [From its opening words.]

Tanzimat, tan′zi-mat, n. an organic statute of the Turkish empire, introducing reforms and granting fuller personal liberty, esp. applied to the hatti-sherif of the sultan Abdul Medjid in 1839. [Turk.]

Tâoism, tä′ō-izm, or tow′izm, n. the religious system founded by the Chinese philosopher Lâo-tsze (born 604 B.C.), set forth in the Tâo Teh King.—n. ', an adherent of Tâoism.—adj. '.

Tao-tai, tä′ō-tī′, n. an officer presiding over a Chinese tao, or circuit, containing two or more fu, or departments.

Tap, tap, n. a gentle blow or touch, esp. with something small: a signal with a drum to put lights out.—v.t. to strike lightly, touch gently.—v.i. to give a gentle knock:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. tapped. [O. Fr. tapper—Low Ger. tappen.]



Tap, tap, n. a hole or short pipe through which liquor is drawn: a place where liquor is drawn: any particular liquor drawn through a tap.—v.t. to pierce, so as to let out fluid: to open a cask and draw off liquor: to broach a vessel.—v.i. to act as a tapster:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. tapped.—ns. ', a bolt with a head on one end and a thread on the other, to be screwed into some fixed part instead of passing through and receiving a nut; ', slag produced during puddling; ', a tavern; ', poor stale swipes; ', percussion; ', one who taps; ', an operation frequently resorted to for the removal of fluid accumulations, particularly in the pleural and peritoneal cavities, consisting in the introduction of one end of a small tube into the cavity and withdrawing the fluid by siphon action, or by means of a vacuum: the act or art of tapping or drawing out fluid; ', a room where beer is served from the tap or cask; ', a root of a plant or tree striking directly downward without dividing, and tapering towards the end, as that of the carrot; ', one who taps or draws off liquor, a publican, barman.—On tap, kept in cask—opp. to bottled: ready to be drawn upon. [A.S. tæppe, seen in tæppere, one who taps casks; Dut. tap, Ger. zapfen, a tap.]

Tap, tap, n. a Scotch form of top.

Tap, tap, n. an Indian malarial fever. [Hind.]

Tapa, tä′pä, n. the bark of the paper-mulberry, much used in the South Seas for mats, &c.—Also .

Tapadera, tap-a-dā′ra, n. a leather guard for the stirrup of the Californian saddle. [Sp., 'a cover'—tapar, to cover.]

Tape, tāp, n. a narrow fillet or band of woven work, used for strings, &c.: a strong flexible band rotating on pulleys for directing the sheets in a printing-machine: the strip of paper used in a printing-telegraph instrument, &c.: (slang) liquor.—v.t. to furnish, or tie up, with tape: to extend.—ns. ', ', a measuring-line of tape, marked with inches, &c.—adj. ', made of tape.—n. ', one who uses tape, an official formalist.—Breast the tape, in foot-racing, to touch with the breast the tape or ribbon held by the judge at the finish-line. [A.S. tæppe, a fillet—L. tapete—Gr. tapēs.]

Taper, tā′pėr, n. a small wax-candle or light: tapering form.—adj. narrowed towards the point, like a taper: long and slender.—v.i. to become gradually smaller towards one end.—v.t. to make to taper.—adj. ', growing gradually thinner.—adv. ', in a tapering manner.—n. , state of being taper. [A.S. tapor, prob. Ir. tapar.]

Tapestry, tap′es-tri, n. an ornamental textile used for the covering of walls and furniture, and for curtains and hangings—divided into two classes, according as they are made in high-warp (haute lisse) or low-warp (basse lisse) looms.—v.t. to adorn with tapestry—n.  (Spens.). [O. Fr. tapisserie—tapis; a carpet—L. tapete, a carpet, tapestry—Gr. tapēs, -etis—Pers. tabsch.]

Tapeti, tap′e-ti, n. the Brazilian hare.

Tapetum, tā-pē′tum, n. (bot.) the cells on the outside of an archesporium: the pigmentary layer of the retina:—pl. . [L. tapete—Gr. tapēs, tapētos, a carpet.]

Tapeworm, tāp′wurm, n. a term sometimes used as a popular synonym for Cestoda or Cestoid Worms, but especially for those which belong to the families Tæniadæ and Bothriocephalidæ.

Tapioca, tap-i-ō′ka, n. a farinaceous substance obtained from cassava or manioc by drying it while moist on hot plates, so that the starch grains swell or burst, and the whole agglomerates in small lumps. [Braz. tipioka, the poisonous juice of the cassava.]

Tapir, tā′pir, n. a genus of Ungulata, of the section Perissodactyla, thick-skinned, short-necked, with a short flexible proboscis, found in South America.—adjs. ', having teeth like the tapir; ', related to the tapirs. [Braz.]

Tapis, tap′is, or ta-pē′, n. tapestry, carpeting: formerly, the cover of a council-table.—vs.i. (obs.) ', ', to hide.—Upon the tapis, on the table: under consideration. [Fr.]

Tappet, tap′et, n. (Spens.) tapestry.

Tappet, tap′et, n. a projecting arm, lever, &c. from any moving part of a machine supplying intermittent motion to some other part.—ns. ', ', ', ', &c.

Tappit, tap′it, adj. (Scot.) having a top or crest.—n. , a crested hen: a vessel for liquor holding about three quarts, a liberal allowance of drink generally.

Tapsalteerie, tap-sal-tē′ri, adj. (Scot.) topsy-turvy.—Also .

Tapsman, taps′man, n. (Scot.) a servant with principal charge, the chief of a company of drovers.

Tapu. See Taboo.

Tar, tär, v.t. to set on, incite to fight. [M. E. tarien, to irritate—A.S. tergan, to provoke.]

Tar, tär, n. a viscous, liquid, resinous substance of a dark colour, obtained from pine-trees: a sailor, so called from his tarred clothes.—v.t. to smear with tar:—pr.p. pa.t. and pa.p. tarred.—ns. ', a North Carolinian; ', sailors collectively.—Tar and feather, to smear with tar and then cover with feathers.—Be tarred with the same brush, or stick, to have the same faults as another; Have a touch of the tar-brush, to have an infusion of negro blood in the veins. [A.S. teoro, teru; Dut. teer.]

Tarabooka, ta-ra-bōō′ka, n. a drum-like instrument.

Tara-fern, tä′rä-fern, n. a New Zealand brake, with a thickened edible rhizome.

Tarantass, tar-an-tas′, n. a four-wheeled vehicle having a boat-shaped body, without springs. [Russ.]

Tarantella. See under Tarantism.

Tarantism, tar′ant-izm, n. an epidemic leaping or dancing mania, somewhat resembling chorea—also '.—ns. ', ', a lively Neapolitan dance in triplets for one couple—thought a remedy for tarantism; ', , a species of spider found in South Italy, whose bite is much dreaded, and was long supposed to cause tarantism. [It. tarantola—Taranto—L. Tarentum, a town in South Italy where the spider abounds.]

Taratantara, tar-a-tan-tar′a, n. or adv. a word imitative of the sound of a trumpet.—Also ', '.

Taraxacum, tar-aks′a-kum, n. the root of the dandelion, a tonic laxative in diseases of the liver.—n. , a crystallisable substance extracted from the foregoing. [A botanical Latin word, coined from Gr. taraxis, trouble—tarassein, to trouble. Davic refers to Ar. taras-acon, a kind of succory, Latinised in Avicenna as taraxacon.]



Tarboosh, Tarbouche, tär-boosh′, n. a red cap with dark tassel worn by Moslem men. [Ar. tarbūsh.]

Tardigrade, tär′di-grād, adj. slow in pace; belonging to the , a group or suborder of mammals containing the two genera of sloth.—n. one of the Tardigrada. [L. tardus, slow, gradi, to step.]

Tardy, tär′di, adj. slow, late, sluggish: out of season.—advs. ' (mus.), slowly; ', slowly: reluctantly: late.—n. '.—adj. ' (Shak.) slow-paced. [Fr. tardif—tard—L. tardus, slow.]

Tare, tār, n. any one of several species of vetch: (B.) an unidentified weed, prob. darnel. [Prob. tear.]

Tare, tār, n. the weight of the vessel or package in which goods are contained: an allowance made for it, the remainder being the net weight. [Fr.,—Sp. tara—Ar. tarha, thrown away.]

Tare, tār, obsolete, pa.p. of tear (2).



Target, tär′get, n. a small buckler or shield: a mark to fire at for practice or competition: any object of desire or ambition: the frame holding railway-signals: (her.) a bearing representing a buckler: (Scot.) a pendant, tassel—also Targe.—adj. ', provided with a shield.—ns. ', , one armed with a shield, a peltast. [A.S. targe; Old High Ger. zarga, a frame, wall; Fr. targe is of Teut. origin.]

Targum, tār′gum, n. a general term for the Aramaic versions—often paraphrases—of the Old Testament, which became necessary when, after and perhaps during the Babylonian Exile, Hebrew began to die out as the popular language and was supplanted by Aramaic.—adj. '.—n. ', a writer of a Targum: a student of the Targums.—adj. . [Assyr. ragâmu, to speak, whence targumânu, speaker.]

Tariff, tar′if, n. a list of the duties, &c., fixed by law on merchandise: a list of charges, fees, or prices. [Fr.,—Sp.,—Ar. ta‛rīf, giving information, from ‛arafa, to explain.]

Tarlatan, tär′la-tan, n. a fine, open, transparent muslin for women's dresses, often coarse in texture, made at Tarare in the department of Rhône.—Also . [Prob. Milanese tarlantanna.]

Tarn, tärn, n. a small lake among the mountains. [Ice. tjörn.]

Tarnation, tär-nā′shun, adj. and adv. a softened form of damnation, as , of eternal or infernal.

Tarnish, tär′nish, v.t. to soil by exposure to the air, &c.: to diminish the lustre or purity of, to stain, sully.—v.i. to become dull: to lose lustre.—n. a spot, stain, change in lustre of a mineral.—n. . [Fr. ternir (pr.p. ternissant); terne, dull, wan—Mid. High Ger. ternen, Old High Ger. tarnjan, to darken; A.S. dernan, to cover.]

Taro, tä′rō, n. a plant of the arum family, widely cultivated for its edible roots in the islands of the Pacific. [Polynesian.]

Tarot, tar′ot, n. a kind of playing card used, and probably invented, in Italy about the middle of the 14th century, 78 to the pack: a game played with such.—Also . [Fr., so called prob. because tarotée on the back—i.e. marked with plain or dotted lines crossing diagonally—It. tarocchi.]

Tarpan, tar′pan, n. the small wild horse of the steppes of Russia. [Tatar.]

Tarpaulin, tär-paw′lin, n. strong linen or hempen cloth coated with tar or pitch to render it waterproof: a sailor's wide-brimmed storm-hat: (coll.) a sailor.—Also . [From tar, and prov. Eng. pauling, a cart cover; cf. Pall.]

Tarpeian, tär-pē′an, adj. designating a cliff—the Tarpeian Rock upon the Capitoline Hill at Rome, from which state criminals were thrown—from the Roman traitress Tarpeia.

Tarpon, tär′pon, Tarpum, tär′pum, n. a food-fish of America, of the herring family, common in the warmer Atlantic waters, and six feet long.—Also Jew-fish. [Amer. Ind.]

Tarradiddle, tar-a-did′l, n. a fib, a lie. [App. a coined word, the last part being the slang word diddle, to cheat.]

Tarragon, tar′a-gon, n. the herb-dragon, an aromatic plant used for flavouring vinegar, sauces, &c. [Sp. taragontia—Ar. tarkhūn—Gr. drakōn, a dragon.]

Tarras, tar′ras, n. (Spens.) terrace.

Tarre, tär, v.t. (Shak.) to set on, to encourage.

Tarriance, tar′i-ans, n. (arch.) act of tarrying, delay.

Tarrier, tar′i-ėr, n. old form of terrier: (slang) a rough fellow, a tough.

Tarrock, tar′ok, n. the young of the kittiwake: the tern: guillemot.

Tarry, tär′i, adj. consisting of, covered with, or like tar.—n. ', a sailor.—adj. ', thievish.—n.pl. , thieving fingers.

Tarry, tar′i, v.i. to be tardy or slow: to loiter or stay behind: to delay:—pa.t. and pa.p. —n. ', one who tarries or delays.—v.i. ' (Scot.), to hesitate, refuse. [M. E. targen, to delay (confused in form with tarien, to irritate)—O. Fr. targer (Fr. tarder)—L. tardus, slow.]

Tarsia, tär′si-a, n. an Italian mosaic, at first dealing with geometrical patterns in wood, but which developed into inlaid representations of architecture, views, figures, and drapery, and finally into foliaceous scrolls of modern marquetry. [It.]

Tarsier, tär′si-er, n. a small arboreal East Indian lemuroid, the malmag.—adj. , having the same tarsal structure as the foregoing. [Fr.]

Tarsus, tär′sus, n. the part of the foot to which the leg is articulated:—pl. '.—adj. ', relating to the tarsus or ankle.—ns. ', pain in the tarsus: a neuralgic affection of the foot from which persons walking much sometimes suffer; ', a small Australian honey-sucking marsupial, of the family Phalangistidæ, about the size of a mouse.—adj. ', pertaining to the tarsus and the metatarsus.—n. ', the single compound bone of birds.—adj. , mediotarsal. [Gr. tarsos, the flat part of the foot.]

Tart, tärt, adj. sharp or sour to the taste: (fig.) sharp: severe.—adj. ', somewhat tart.—adv. '.—n. . [A.S. teart—teran, to tear.]

Tart, tärt, n. a small pie, containing fruit or jelly baked in paste.—n. , a small tart. [O. Fr. tarte—L. torta, fem. of pa.p. of torquēre, twist.]

Tartan, tär′tan, n. a woollen or worsted stuff checked with various colours, once the distinctive dress of the Scottish Highlanders, each clan having its own pattern. [Fr. tiretaine, linsey-woolsey—Sp. tiritaña, a thin woollen stuff—tiritar, to shiver.]

Tartan, tär′tan, n. a Mediterranean vessel with lateen sail: a kind of long covered carriage [Fr.,—Ar. taridah, a small ship.]

Tartar, tär′tar, n. a mixture of bitartrate of potash and tartrate of lime, being a deposit formed from wine, and known in its crude form as argol: a concretion which sometimes forms on the teeth.—adjs. ', ', consisting of, or resembling, tartar; ', pertaining to, or obtained from, tartar.—v.t. ', to impregnate or treat with tartar.—adjs. ', ', derived from tartar.—n. , a salt of tartaric acid.—Tartar emetic, a compound of potassium and antimony.—Cream of tartar (see Cream). [Fr. tartre—Low L. tartarum—Ar. durd, dregs.]

Tartar, tär′tar, n. a native of Tartary in Asia: an irritable person, or one too strong for his assailant.

Tartarus, tär′ta-rus, n. the lower world generally, but esp. the place of punishment for the wicked, according to Homer, a deep and sunless abyss, as far below Hades as earth is below heaven, and closed in by iron gates—(Shak.) ': (Spens.) '.—adj. . [L.,—Gr. tartaros.]

Tartuffe, tär-tōōf′, n. a hypocritical pretender to religion, from the chief character in Molière's most celebrated comedy (1669).—adjs. ', '.—ns. ', '.

Tarve, tärv, n. (prov.) a curve, bend.

Tar-water, tär′-waw′tèr, n. cold infusion of tar in water, once used as a medicine for chest complaints.

Tascal, tas′kal, n. a reward for information about cattle-stealing.—Also . [Gael, taisgeal.]

Taseometer, tas-ē-om′e-tèr, n. an instrument for measuring strains in a structure. [Gr. tasis, a stretching, metron, measure.]

Tash, tash, n. an Oriental silk fabric, with gold or silver thread.—Also Tass. [Hind, tāsh, tās.]

Tasimeter, ta-sim′e-tėr, n. an apparatus for detecting changes in pressure by the variations in the electrical conductivity of carbon.—adj. '.—n. '. [Gr. tasis—teinein, stretch.]

Task, task, n. a set amount of work, esp. of study, given by another: work: drudgery.—v.t. to impose a task on: to burden with severe work.—ns. ', one who imposes a task, or who performs it; ', task-work; ', a master who imposes a task: an overseer:—fem. '; , work done as a task, or by the job.—Take to task, to reprove. [O. Fr. tasque (Fr. tâche)—Low L. tasca, taxa—L. taxāre, to rate.]

Taslet, tas′let, n. a tass or piece of armour for the thigh—prob. the same as Tasset.

Tasmanian, tas-mā′ni-an, adj. of or belonging to Tasmania or Van Diemen's Land.—n. a native of Tasmania.—Tasmanian devil, or Dasyure (see Devil); Tasmanian Wolf, a nocturnal carnivorous marsupial of Tasmania. [From Abel Jans Tasman (c. 1602-59), the discoverer.]

Tass, tas, n. (prov.) a hay-mow, a heap. [O. Fr. tas, a heap, most prob. Teut.]

Tass, tas, n. (obs.) a pouch. [Tasset.]

Tass, tas, n. a drinking-cup or its contents. [Fr. tasse—Ar. tās, a cup.]

Tass, tas, n. a piece of armour for the thigh. [Tasset.]

Tassel, tas′el, n. a hanging ornament consisting of a bunch of silk or other material: anything like a tassel: the silk or ribbon-marker of a book: a thin plate of gold on the back of a bishop's gloves.—v.t. to attach a tassel to, to ornament with tassels.—adj. , adorned with tassels. [O. Fr. tassel, an ornament of a square shape, attached to the dress—L. taxillus, dim. of talus, a die.]

Tassel-gentle, tas′el-jen′tl, n. (Shak.) the tiercel or male goshawk—also '—properly '.

Tasset, tas′et, n. an overlapping plate from the cuirass protecting the thigh. [O. Fr. tassette—tasse, n pouch—Teut., Old High Ger. tasca, a pouch.]

Tassie, tas′i, n. (Scot.) a drinking-cup. [See Tass (3).]

Taste, tāst, v.t. to try or perceive by the touch of the tongue or palate: to try by eating a little: to eat a little of: to partake of: to relish, enjoy: to experience: (Shak.) to enjoy carnally.—v.i. to try or perceive by the mouth: to have a flavour of.—n. the act or sense of tasting: the particular sensation caused by a substance on the tongue: the sense by which we perceive the flavour of a thing: the quality or flavour of anything: a small portion: intellectual relish or discernment: the faculty by which the mind perceives the beautiful: nice perception: choice, predilection.—adjs. ', that may be tasted; ', full of taste: having a high relish: showing good taste.—adv. '.—n. '.—adj. ', without taste: insipid.—adv. '.—ns. '; ', one skilful in distinguishing flavours by the taste: one whose duty it is to test the quality of food by tasting it before serving it to his master.—adv. ', with good taste, neatly.—n. ', the act or sense of tasting.—adj. , having a good taste: possessing nice perception of excellence: in conformity with good taste.—To one's taste, to one's liking, agreeable. [O. Fr. taster (Fr. tâter), as if from Low L. taxitāre—L. taxāre, to touch repeatedly, to estimate—tangĕre, to touch.]

Tat, tat, v.t. to make by hand, as an edging with a shuttle by knotting and looping thread.—v.i. to make tatting.—n. , a kind of lace edging woven or knit from common sewing-thread. [Prob. Scand., Ice. tæta, to tease, tæta, shreds.]

Tat, tat, n. East Indian matting, gunny-cloth.

Tat, tat, n. a native-bred pony. [Anglo-Ind.]

Ta-ta, tä-tä, interj. (coll.) good-bye.

Tatar, tä′tar, n. a name originally applied to a native of certain Tungustic tribes in Chinese Tartary, but extended to the Mongol, Turkish, and other warriors, who swept over Asia under Genghis Khan. The term Tatars is used loosely for tribes of mixed origin in Tartary, Siberia, and the Russian steppes, including Kazan Tartars, Crim Tartars, Kipchaks, Kalmucks, &c. In the classification of languages ' is used of the Turkish group.—adjs. ', . [The Turkish and Persian Tátar became Tartar, because they were supposed to be like fiends from hell—Gr. tartoros.]

Tate, tāt, n. (Scot.) a small portion of anything fibrous.—Also Tait.

Tater, tā′tėr, n. a vulgar form of potato.—Also .

Tath, tath, n. (prov.) the dung of cattle.—v.t. to manure.

Tatter, tat′ėr, n. a torn piece: a loose hanging rag.—v.t. and v.i. to tear to tatters: to fall into tatters.—n. ', a ragged fellow.—p.adj. ', in tatters or rags: torn.—adj. , very ragged. [Ice. töturr (pl. tötrar), rags, a torn garment.]

Tattersalls, tat′ėr-salz, n. a famous mart in London for the sale of racing and other high-class horses, and one of the principal haunts of racing men—so called from Richard Tattersall (1724-95).

Tattle, tat′l, n. trifling talk or chat.—v.i. to talk idly or triflingly: to tell tales or secrets.—n. idle talk.—ns. ', one given to tattling; ', idle talk.—p.adj. ', given to tattling or telling tales.—n. (Shak.) the act of tale-telling.—adv. '. [M. E. tatelen; Low Ger. tateln, to gabble; an imit. word.]

Tattoo, tat-tōō′, n. a beat of drum and a bugle-call to call soldiers to quarters, originally to shut the taps or drinking-houses against them.—The devil's tattoo, the act of drumming with the fingers on a table, &c.; in absence of mind or impatience. [Dut. taptoe—tap, a tap, and toe, which is the prep., Eng. to. Ger. zu, in the sense of 'shut.']

Tattoo, tat-tōō′, v.t. to mark permanently (as the skin) with figures, by pricking in colouring-matter.—n. marks or figures made by pricking colouring-matter into the skin.—ns. '; '; . [Tahitian tatu.]

Tatty, tat′i, n. an East Indian screen or mat made of the roots of the fragrant cuscus-grass, with which door or window openings are filled up in the season of hot winds. [Hind. tātī.]

Tau, taw, n. the toad-fish: a tau-cross.—ns. ', a -shaped bone, as the interclavicle of a monotreme; ', a cross in the form of a —also Cross-tau and Cross of St Anthony; ', a staff with a cross-piece at the top like a crutch.—adj. ', having a handle like a tau-cross. [See T.]

Taught, tawt, pa.t. and pa.p. of teach.

Taunt, tawnt, v.t. to reproach or upbraid with severe or insulting words: to censure sarcastically.—n. upbraiding, sarcastic, or insulting words: a bitter reproach.—n. '.—adj. '.—adv. . [O. Fr. tanter—L. tentāre, to tempt.]

Taupie, Tawpie, taw′pi, n. (Scot.) a thoughtless girl. [Ice. tópi, a fool.]

Taurus, taw′rus, n. the Bull, one of the signs of the zodiac.—adjs. ', pertaining to a bull; ', having the form of a bull; ', bull-like.—ns. ', the slaughter of a bull in the Mithraic rites, or an artistic representation of the same; ', bull-fighting.—adj. ', bull-shaped. [L.,—Gr.]

Taut, Taught, tawt, adj. tightly drawn: in good condition.—v.t. ', to make tight.—n. '. [A form of tight.]

Tauted, taw′ted, adj. (Scot.) matted.—Also ', ', . [See Tat (1).]

Tautochronous, taw-tok′rō-nus, adj. isochronous.—n. .

Tautog, taw-tog′, n. a labroid fish of the United States Atlantic coast.

Tautology, taw-tol′ō-ji, n. needless repetition of the same thing in different words.—adjs. ', ', containing tautology.—adv. '.—v.i. ', to use tautology: to repeat the same thing in different words.—ns. '; '.—adjs. ', tautological; '.—n. , repetition of the same sound. [Gr. tautologia—tauto, the same, legein, to speak.]

Tavern, tav′ėrn, n. a licensed house for the sale of liquors, with accommodation for travellers: an inn.—ns. ', an innkeeper; '. [Fr. taverne—L. taberna, from root of tabula, a board.]

Tavers, Taivers, tā′vers, n.pl. (Scot.) tatters.

Tavert, Taivert, tā′vert, adj. (Scot.) muddled: fuddled.

Taw, taw, n. a marble chosen to be played with, a game at marbles, also the line from which to play.

Taw, taw, v.t. to prepare and dress, as skins into white leather.—ns. ', a maker of white leather; ', a place where skins are dressed; . [A.S. tawian, to prepare; Old High Ger. zoujan, make, Dut. touwen, curry.]

Tawdry, taw′dri, adj. showy without taste: gaudily dressed.—adj. ', tawdrily dressed.—adv. '.—n. '.—n.pl. ', finery. [Said to be corr. from St Awdrey=St Ethelreda, at whose fair (17th October) laces and gay toys were sold.]

Tawie, taw′i, adj. (Scot.) tame.

Tawny, taw′ni, adj. of the colour of things tanned, a yellowish brown.—n. . [Fr. tanné, pa.p. of tanner, to tan.]

Taws, Tawse, tawz, n. (Scot.) a leather strap, usually fringed at the end, for chastising children.

Tax, taks, n. a rate imposed on property or persons for the benefit of the state: anything imposed: a burdensome duty.—v.t. to lay a tax on: to register or enrol for fiscal purposes (Luke ii. 1): to burden: to accuse: to examine accounts in order to allow or disallow items.—ns. ', '.—adj. ', capable of being, or liable to be, taxed—adv. '.—ns. ', act of taxing; ', a light spring-cart; '.—adj. ', exempt from taxation.—ns. '; ' (see Addenda); ', an officer of a court of law who examines bills of costs; '. [Fr. taxe, a tax—L. taxāre, to handle, value, charge—tangĕre to touch.]