Etymology dictionary
tarry (adj.) — tchotchke (n.)
tarry (adj.)
early 15c., terrie, "like tar;" 1550s, "consisting of or like tar;" 1580s, "smeared with tar;" from tar (n.1) + -y (2). Colloquially, by 1822 as "thievish," and in expressions such as tarry fingers, to which things cling improperly; tarry-fingered "dishonest, thieving" (1825, Jamieson).
tarrying (n.)
"delaying, waiting, loitering," mid-14c., verbal noun from tarry (v.). Middle English also had tarriance (mid-15c.).
tarry (v.)
early 14c., tarien, "to delay in acting, procrastinate, retard" (transitive, a sense now obsolete), a word of uncertain origin. Some sources suggest a connection to Latin tardare "to delay." Others suggest some connection to the formally identical Middle English tarien "excite wrath, provoke," which is perhaps from Old French tariier. Middle English had earlier targen "to delay acting, be slow" (c. 1200), from the Old French word or from Old English tergan, tirgan "to vex, irritate, exasperate, provoke."
The intransitive meaning "linger, continue in a place, sojourn" is attested from late 14c. Related: Tarried; tarrying; tarrysome.
tarsal (adj.)
"of or pertaining to the ankle or instep of the foot," 1817, from tarsus (n.) + -al (1), or from medical Latin tarsalis.
tarsus (n.)
in zoology and anatomy, the ankle bones collectively, 1670s, Modern Latin, from Greek tarsos "ankle, sole of the foot," also "palm of the hand," a designation of many flat objects ("device for dehydrating and drying cheese, mat of rushes, kind of flat basket, blade, rudder, row of oars, flat of an outstretched wing." The connecting notion is the bones of the "flat" of the foot (Greek tarsos podos).
Tarsos is said in Watkins to be from PIE root *ters- "to dry," on the notion of "flat surface, especially for drying." Beekes finds "phonological problems" with the "remarkable shift of meaning to 'blade of the foot, etc.," and wonders, "Was it a loan from an intermediate language?"++
tart (v.)
1610s, "make acid or piquant," from tart (adj.). To tart (something) up "dress or adorn in a cheap, showy way" is from 1938, from tart (n.2). Related: Tarted; tarting.
tart (n.1)
late 14c., "baked dish of a flat pastry shell and a filling of meat, cheese, fruit, etc.," from Old French tarte "flat, open-topped pastry" (13c.), which is possibly (Diez) an alteration of torte, from Late Latin torta panis "round loaf of bread" (in Medieval Latin "a cake, tart;" the source also of torte). This is perhaps from the past participle of torquere "to twist" (from PIE root *terkw- "to twist"). In later use especially a small pastry with no crust on top and filled with preserved fruit or other sweet stuff.
tart (adj.)
"having a sharp taste, pungent, sour, acidic," late 14c., probably from Old English teart "painful, sharp, severe, rough" (in reference to punishment, pain, suffering), from Germanic *ter-t- (according to Watkins from PIE root *der- "to split, flay, peel;" compare tear (v.1)). But the gap in the record is unexplained.
The figurative use, with reference to words, speech, etc., is attested from c. 1600. Related: Tartly; tartness, both unattested in Middle English.
tart (n.2)
1887, "immoral woman," sometimes indistinguishable from "prostitute," perhaps from earlier use as a term of endearment to a girl or woman (1864), and sometimes said to be a shortening of sweetheart. But another theory traces it to jam-tart (see tart (n.1)), which was British slang early 19c. for "attractive woman." Extended by 1935 to catamites, male prostitutes, etc.
tartan (n.)
mid-15c., "kind of woolen fabric," a word of uncertain origin, perhaps (OED, 1989) from French tiretaine "strong, coarse fabric" (mid-13c.), from Old French tiret "kind of cloth," from tire "silk cloth," from Medieval Latin tyrius "cloth from Tyre" (see Tyrian).
If this is the source, the spelling likely was influenced in Middle English by tartaryn "rich silk cloth" (mid-14c.), from Old French tartarin "Tartar cloth," from Tartare "Tartar," the Central Asian people (see Tartar).
The specific meaning "woolen or worsted cloth woven with crossing stripes of colors" is from c. 1500 in Scotland, Formerly tartan was a part of the distinctive dress of Scottish Highlanders, each clan having its particular pattern.
tartaric (adj.)
1790, "of, pertaining to, or obtained from tartar," from tartar + -ic. With a capital T-, "of or pertaining to the Tartars or Tartary," by 1811, from Tartar.
tartar (n.)
"bitartrate of potash, sediment of potassium tartarate" (a deposit left during fermentation), late 14c., from Old French tartre and directly from Medieval Latin tartarum, from late Greek tartaron "tartar encrusting the sides of wine casks," a word perhaps of Semitic origin, but if so the exact source has not been identified; Arabic is unlikely because of the early date of the word in Latin. The explanation of the name in Paracelsus probably is fanciful.
The purified substance is cream of tartar. Used generally in 17c. of encrustations from liquid contact; the specific meaning "encrustation on teeth" (calcium phosphate) is recorded by 1806.
Tartar
late 14c., "inhabitant of Tartary (late 13c. as a surname), via Medieval Latin Tartarus, etc., from Persian Tatar, first used 13c. in reference to the hordes of Ghengis Khan (1202-1227), said to be ultimately from Tata, a name of the Mongols for themselves.
The form of the word in the Western European languages was influenced from the start by association with Latin Tartarus "hell" (as in the letter attributed to St. Louis of France, 1270: "In the present danger of the Tartars either we shall push them back into the Tartarus whence they are come, or they will bring us all into heaven").
The historical word for what now are called in ethnological works Tatars. A Turkic people, their native region was east of the Caspian Sea. Ghengis' horde was a mix of Tatars, Mongols, Turks, etc. Used figuratively for "savage, rough, irascible person" (1660s). To catch a Tartar "get hold of what cannot be controlled" is recorded from 1660s; original sense not preserved, but probably from some military story similar to the old battlefield joke:
Among the adjectival forms that have been used are Tartary "of the nature of a Tartar" (early 15c.), Tartarian (16c.), Tartarous (Ben Jonson), Tartarean (1620s); Byron's Tartarly (1821) is a nonce-word (but a good one). Tartar sauce is attested by 1855, from French sauce tartare.
Tartary
"land of the Tartars," late 14c., from Old French tartarie and directly from Medieval Latin Tartaria, from Tartarus (see Tartar).
Tartarus (n.)
in Homer and older Greek mythology, the sunless abyss below Hades in which Zeus imprisoned the rebel Titans, c. 1500, from Latinized form of Greek Tartaros, a name of uncertain etymology; "prob. a word of imitative origin, suggestive of something frightful" [Klein]. Later in Greek cosmology a place of punishment for the souls of the wicked and almost synonymous with Hades.
tartlet (n.)
late 14c., "a small pastry or pie, filled dumpling," from tart (n.1) + -let. It is attested by 1890 as "young woman of loose or immoral character, young prostitute," from tart (n.2).
Tartuffe (n.)
"pretender to piety, religious hypocrite," 1670s, from name of the principal character in the comedy of the same name by Molière (1664), apparently from Old French tartuffe "truffle" (see truffle), perhaps chosen for suggestion of concealment in Tartuffe's hypocrisy, or "in allusion to the fancy that truffles were a diseased product of the earth" [New International Encyclopedia, 1905]. Tartufo is said to have been the name of a hypocritical character in Italian comedy.
tar-water (n.)
"infusion of tar in cold water," from c. 1740 through late 18c. a popular remedy for many chronic conditions, especially of the lungs, from tar (n.1) + water (n.1).
Tarzan
name of character in a series of novels by U.S. fiction writer Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), introduced 1914. Related: Tarzanesque (1933).
Taser (n.)
1972, formed (probably on model of laser, etc.) from the initials of Tom Swift's electric rifle, a fictitious weapon. A word that threatens to escape the cage of its trademark, despite the strenuous efforts of the owners, who are within their rights to fight to hold it. They also insist, via their attorneys, that it be written all in capitals. Tom Swift was the hero of a series of early 20c. American sci-fi/adventure novels, one of which was titled "Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle."
The noun has spawned a verb, taze or tase. Related: Tased; tasing.
task (n.)
early 14c., taske, "a quantity of labor imposed as a duty," from Old North French tasque (12c., Old French tasche, Modern French tâche) "duty, tax," from Vulgar Latin *tasca "a duty, assessment," a metathesis of Medieval Latin taxa, which is a back-formation from Latin taxare "to evaluate, estimate, assess" (see tax (v.)). A doublet of tax (n.); also compare taste.
The general sense of "any piece of work that has to be done" is recorded by 1590s. Also in Middle English as "a tax" (c. 1400); this is obsolete but the phrase take (one) to task (1680s) preserves a sense that is closer to tax.
German Tasche "pocket" is from the same Vulgar Latin source (via Old High German tasca), with presumable sense evolution from "amount of work imposed by some authority," to "payment for that work," to "wages," to "pocket into which money is put," to "any pocket."
task (v.)
1520s, "impose a task upon;" 1590s, "to burden, put a strain upon," from task (n.). Earlier in a now obsolete sense of "impose a tax upon, assess fines for" (late 14c.), from a Middle English sense of task (n.). From 1570s as "take to task." Related: Tasked; tasking.
tasker (n.)
c. 1500 (as a surname mid-13c.), an agent-noun in form, apparently from task (n.). Originally "a thresher," but probably so called from the notion of task work. By 1580s as "one who imposes a task or tasks."
task-force (n.)
"armed force organized for a special operation," 1941, a military term from World War II; see task (n.) + force (n.).
taskmaster (n.)
"overseer, one whose office is to impose burdens with labor and see to their doing," 1520s, from task (n.) + master (n.). Task-lord also was used. Task-mistress is attested from c. 1600. Tasker is from 1580s as "imposer of tasks" (earlier "one who threshes with a flail;" mid-13c. as a surname).
task-work (n.)
late 15c., "piece-work," from task (n.) + work (n.). By 1580s as "oppressive or burdensome labor."
Tasmania (n.)
large island south of Australia, 1853, named for Dutch navigator Abel Tasman (1603-1659), who discovered it in 1642. It was called by him Van Diemen's Land for the Dutch governor-general of the East Indies. Related: Tasmanian.
The last of the aboriginal Tasmanians was said to have died in 1876. The Tasmanian devil has been so called in English by 1829, from its propensity for killing young lambs (other voracious fish or animals also have been named devil).
Tass (n.)
official news agency of the former U.S.S.R., formed in 1925, an acronym of Russian T'el'egrafnoye ag'enstvo Sov'etskovo Soyuza "Telegraphic Agency of the Soviet Union."
tassel (n.)
c. 1300, "clasp, mantle-fastener," from Old French tassel "tassel, fringe, hem; a fastening, clasp" (12c., Modern French tasseau), and directly from Medieval Latin tassellus.
Both have been said to be via Vulgar Latin *tassellus, from Latin taxillus "small die or cube," a diminutive of talus "knucklebone" (used as a die in gaming), also "ankle" (see talus (n.1)). But OED (1989) finds this doubtful and calls attention to the variant form tossel and suggests association with toss (v.).
The meaning "pendent ornament," usually in the form of a hanging bunch of small cords, is recorded by late 14c.
tassel (v.)
"furnish with a tassel," late 14c., implied in the past-participle adjective tasseled, and for many hundred years found only in the past participle. From tassel (n.). Tasseler as a surname is attested from c. 1300. To tassel as a verb is used by 1757 in American English in reference to corn, "form tassels."
taste (n.)
early 14c., "act of tasting," also "sense of touch," from Old French tast (Modern French tât), from taster "to taste, sample by mouth" (see taste (v.)).
It is attested from late 14c. as "a small portion given;" also "faculty or sense by which the flavor of a thing is discerned." Also from late 14c. as "savor, sapidity, flavor; inherent property of matter perceptible by special organs in the mouth."
The meaning "aesthetic judgment, artistic sensibility, faculty of discerning and appreciating what is excellent" is attested by mid-15c. (for the sense extension, compare French goût, German geschmack, Russian vkus, etc.). Taste in English is attested by early 14c. as "the discriminative faculty" in a spiritual sense.
The sense of "fact or condition of liking or preferring something, inclination" is from late 14c.
tasting (n.)
late 14c., "act or fact of perceiving the taste of something," verbal noun from taste (v.). From late 14c. as "portion of food or drink offered" to try the taste. By 1959 as "a gathering for the purpose of a tasting."
taste (v.)
c. 1300, tasten, "perceive the flavor of" (something); "take a little food or drink; try the quality or flavor of;" from Old French taster "to taste, sample by mouth; enjoy" (13c.), earlier "to feel, touch, pat, stroke" (12c., Modern French tâter), from Vulgar Latin *tastare, which is apparently an alteration (perhaps by influence of gustare "to taste, take a little of") of taxtare, a frequentative form of Latin taxare "evaluate, handle" (see tax (v.)).
Also from c. 1300 in English as "to touch, to handle." From early 14c. as "have experience or knowledge of" (of bliss, bitterness, etc.). The meaning "exercise the sense of taste" is recorded from late 14c.
In reference to substances, "have a certain taste or flavor," from 1550s (displacing native smack (v.3) in this sense). Another PIE root in this sense was *geus- "to taste; to choose" (as in gustare, also gusto, disgust).
Related: Tasted; tasting.
tasteful (adj.)
1610s, of substances, "having an agreeable taste;" from taste (n.) + -ful. From 1756 of productions as "having or showing good taste; characterized by the influence of good taste." By 1849 of persons, "capable of discerning or enjoying what is suitable, beautiful, excellent, or refined." Related: Tastefully; tastefulness.
tasteable
"capable of being perceived by the sense of taste," early 15c., tastable, from Old French tastable or from taste (v.) + -able.
taste-bud (n.)
"one of the groups of cells on the tongue that perceive flavors," 1879; see taste (n.) + bud (n.). Related: Taste-buds. Also called taste-bulbs, taste-goblets.
tasteless (adj.)
1590s, "unable to taste;" c. 1600, "uninteresting, insipid" (figurative); 1610s, "having no taste;" 1670s, "tactless" (figurative); from taste (n.) + -less. Related: Tastelessly; tastelessness.
taster (n.)
late 14c., tastour, "one who perceives by taste," especially a domestic officer who tastes for purity or quality, agent noun from taste (v.) and from Old French tasteor, tasteur. Also late 14c. as "implement or shallow cup used in tasting." By 1826 as "small portion, sample."
taste-test (v.)
"to sample (a food preparation, etc.) for quality or excellence by tasting it," by 1979, from the noun phrase; see taste (n.) + test (n.). Related: Taste-tested; taste-tester; taste-testing.
tasty (adj.)
1610s, "having agreeable flavor, palatable," from taste (n.) + -y (2); in late 18c. it also could mean "tasteful, elegant" (from the secondary sense of taste (n.)). Tastesome in this sense is from 1590s. Related: Tastily; tastiness.
tat (v.)
also tatt, 1882, "to do tatting," a back-formation from tatting or from the same undetermined source. Related: Tatted.
tatting (n.)
"the making of knotted lace; a kind of homemade lace;" 1832, a word of uncertain origin, "perh. an arbitrary formation" (OED, 1989), apparently older than the verb tat. In French, frivolité. A kind of knotted work done in cotton or linen thread, having the look of old homemade laces, used for doilies, collars, etc.
ta-ta
also tata, "good-bye," familiar salutation in parting, 1823, first noted as infant's speech. Abbreviation T.T.F.N., "ta-ta for now," popularized 1941 by BBC radio program "ITMA," where it was the characteristic parting of the Cockney cleaning woman character Mrs. Mopp, voiced by Dorothy Summers.
tatami (n.)
Japanese floor-mat, also a unit of room measurement, 1610s, from Japanese tatami.
Tatar (n.)
see Tartar. Related: Tataric; Tatarian.
tater (n.)
1759, representing colloquial pronunciation of potato.
tatter (n.1)
c. 1400, taters, tatrys (plural) "torn or ragged strips hanging from a garment," from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse töturr "rags, tatters, tattered garment," cognate with Old English tættec, tætteca "rag, tatter." As "ragged clothing, slashed garments, mid-15c. Also tater-wagge (c 1400). Compare Old French taterele, said to be ultimately from Germanic. Related: Tatters.
tattered (adj.)
c. 1400, tatered, tatrid, "clad in slashed or ragged garments," from tatter (n.) or its Scandinavian source. Earlier "jagged" (late 14c.), of teeth, a saw. The verb tatter "rend or tear into rags or shreds" is from c. 1600.
tatter (n.2)
"one who tats," 1881, agent noun from tat (v.).
tatterdemalion (n.)
also tatterdemallion, "ragged fellow, person dressed in old clothes," c. 1600, probably from tatter (n.), with fantastic second element, but perhaps also suggested by Tartar in a contemporary sense of "vagabond, gypsy." Compare tatterwallop "rags in a fluttering state."
tattersall (n.)
fabric with a small and even check pattern, 1891, so called because it was similar to the traditional design of horse blankets, in reference to Tattersall's, the famous London horse market and gambler's rendezvous, founded 1766 by Richard Tattersall (1724-1795). The surname is from the place in Lincolnshire, which is said to represent "Tathere's nook," "probably in the sense 'nook of dry ground in marsh'." [Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names]
tatty (adj.)
1510s, "tangled or matted" (of hair), Scottish, also tauted, tawted, probably related to Old English tættec "a rag" (see tatter (n.)). The sense of "tattered, ragged, shabby" in reference to a person is attested by 1933.
tattle (v.)
late 15c., in Caxton's translation of "Reynard the Fox," "to stammer, prattle like a baby," senses now obsolete, probably from Middle Flemish tatelen "to stutter," parallel to Middle Dutch, Middle Low German, East Frisian tateren "to chatter, babble," Middle English tatteren "speak foolishly," probably ultimately of imitative origin.
The meaning "talk unreservedly, tell tales, spill secrets" is first recorded 1580s. Related: Tattled; tattling. As a noun from 1520s, "idle talk or chat." Tattler, "chatterer, idle talker, a gossip" is from 1540s, later the name of the periodical run 1709-1711 by Addison and Steele.
tattletale (n.)
also tattle-tale, "one habitually fond of telling tales or spilling secrets," 1880, from tattle (v.) + tale (n.). Probably patterned on telltale (1540s). A 16c. word for "tattle-tale" was pickthank.
tattoo (n.1)
1680s, "signal calling soldiers or sailors to quarters at night," earlier tap-to (1640s), from Dutch taptoe, from tap "faucet of a cask" (see tap (n.1)) + toe "shut, to" (from Proto-Germanic *to; see to (prep.)). "So called because police formerly visited taverns in the evening to shut off the taps of casks" [Barnhart].
In 17c. Dutch the phrase apparently was used with a transferred or figurative sense "say no more." In English, the transferred sense of "drumbeat" is recorded from 1755. Hence, Devil's tattoo "action of idly drumming fingers in irritation or impatience" (1803).
tattoo (v.2)
"to beat a drum; beat as a drum," 1784, from tattoo (n.1).
tattoo (n.2)
"pigment design inlaid under the skin," 1769 (noun and verb, both first attested in writing of Capt. Cook), from a Polynesian noun (such as Tahitian and Samoan tatau, Marquesan tatu "puncture, mark made on skin").
Century Dictionary (1902) describes them as found on sailors and uncivilized people or as a sentence of punishment. Earlier names in English included Jerusalem cross (1690s) in reference to tattoos on the arms of pilgrims to the Holy Land, also Jerusalem letters (1760).
tattoo (v.1)
"form permanent marks or designs on the skin with pigment inlaid under it," 1769, tattow, from tattoo (n.2). Related: Tattooed; tattooing; tattooer. Thackeray has tattooage.
tau
nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, equivalent to Latin T, early 14c., taw, ultimately from Hebrew taw, last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, literally "sign, mark." In Middle English sometimes taken as a representation of the Cross (or St. Anthony's cross) or the sign of it, also later of the Egyptian ankh (18c.).
taught
past tense of teach (v.), from Old English tahte, past tense of tæcan. As an adjective, of a person, "instructed, trained," by late 14c. The 1382 Wycliffe Bible has taughtly (adv.) "with craft, skillfully."
For the unrelated adjective meaning "stretched or pulled tight" (which formerly was also spelled taught), see taut.
taunt (v.)
1510s, tant "make a smart reply; answer (someone) with a mocking rejoinder;" 1550s, "reproach in a sarcastic way;" of uncertain origin, possibly [Skeat] from French tanter, tenter "to tempt, try, provoke," variant of tempter "to try" (see tempt).
Or from French tant pour tant "so much for so much, tit for tat," on the notion of "sarcastic rejoinder" (considered by OED, 1989, the "most likely suggestion"), thus from Old French tant "as much," from Latin tantus, from tam "so;" for which see tandem. Compare Middle English tant-ne-quant (adv.) "in any way," from Old French ne tant ne quant. Related: Taunted; taunter; taunting.
taunt (n.)
1520s, "bitter invective, upbraiding words, sarcastic reproach," probably from taunt (v.).
taupe (n.)
"dark brownish-gray color" (the color of moleskin), 1906, from French taupe, the color, originally "a mole," Old French, from Latin talpa "a mole," a word of unknown etymology. The story below lacks evidence and appears to be a bid to make the origin of the color name more commercially appealing:
taurian (adj.)
"of or pertaining to a bull," 1882, from Latin taurus (see Taurus) + -ian. With capital T-, as "pertaining to the constellation Taurus," by 1909.
taurine (n.)
also taurin, chemical substance (aminoethyl-sulphonic acid), 1845, from Latin taurus "bull" (see Taurus) + chemical suffix -ine (2); obtained by German professor Leopold Gmelin in 1826 and so called because it was first found in ox bile.
taurine (adj.)
"relating to a bull; having the character of a bull," 1610s, from Latin taurus (see Taurus) + -ine (1). In reference to a period in history, it means the time when the sun was in Taurus at the vernal equinox (roughly 4500-1900 B.C.E.).
tauromachy (n.)
"bull-fighting," 1830, from Greek tauromakhia; see Taurus + -machy. Related: Tauromachian.
Taurus (n.)
zodiac constellation, Middle English Taur, taurus, Anglo-French Taure, from Latin taurus "bull, bullock, steer," also the name of the constellation, from PIE *tau-ro- "bull."
This is reconstructed to be also the source of Greek tauros, Old Church Slavonic turu "bull, steer;" Lithuanian tauras "aurochs;" Old Prussian tauris "bison"); from PIE *tauro- "bull," from root *(s)taeu- "stout, standing, strong" (source also of Sanskrit sthura- "thick, compact," Avestan staora- "big cattle," Middle Persian stor "horse, draft animal," Gothic stiur "young bull," Old English steor; according to Watkins it is an extended form of the root *sta- "to stand, make or be firm."
Klein proposes a Semitic origin (compare Aramaic tora "ox, bull, steer," Hebrew shor, Arabic thor, Ethiopian sor). De Vaan writes: "The earlier history of the word is uncertain: there is no cognate in [Indo-Iranian] or Tocharian, whereas there are Semitic words for 'bull' which are conspicuously similar. Hence, it may have been an early loanword of the form *tauro- into the western IE languages."
The meaning "person born under the sign of the bull" is recorded from 1901. The Taurid meteors (peaking Nov. 20) are so called from 1878.
taut (adj.)
mid-13c., tohte, tought "stretched or pulled tight, strained, not slack," possibly from tog-, past participle stem of Old English teon "to pull, drag," from Proto-Germanic *theuhanan, from PIE root *deuk- "to lead," which would connect it to tow (v.) and tie. But OED (1989) writes that "the history of this word is in many points obscure." Middle English Compendium finds it probably a special development from variant forms of tough (adj.) with possible influence from teon. Commonly confused with taunt. Related: Tautly; tautness.
tauten (v.)
"make taut" (transitive), 1814, from taut (adj.) + -en (1). Also taughten. The intransitive meaning "become taut or tense" is from 1849. Related: Tautened; tautening.
tauto-
before vowels taut-, word-forming element indicating sameness, also repetition, from Greek tauto "the same," a contraction of to auto, with to "the" + autos, reflexive pronoun, "self, same," which is of uncertain origin.
tautog (n.)
edible marine fish of the Atlantic coast of North America, 1640s, from Narragansett tautauog, plural of taut. Translated by Roger Williams as "sheep's head."
tautology (n.)
"repetition of the same word, or use of several words conveying the same idea, in the same immediate context; repetition of the same thing in different words; the useless repetition of the same idea or meaning" (as in they arrived simultaneously at the same time); 1570s, from Late Latin tautologia "representation of the same thing in other words," from Greek tautologia, from tautologos "repeating what has been said." This is a compound of tauto "the same" (see tauto-) + -logos "saying" (see Logos)." Related: Tautological; tautologically; tautologous; tautologize.
tavern (n.)
c. 1300, "establishment that sells and serves drinks and food," from Old French taverne (mid-13c.) "shed made of boards, booth, stall," also "tavern, inn," from Latin taberna "shop, inn, tavern," originally "hut, shed, rude dwelling."
For -b- to -v- shift, compare Old French governer "to steer" from Latin gubernare. Taverner "tavern-keeper" as a surname is from late 12c.; Taberner is attested from late 13c. as a surname, perhaps from Latin tabernarius.
taw (n.)
"a game at marbles," 1709, also the name of a large or fancy marble used in shooting it, a word of unknown origin. It also meant the line from which one shoots in playing the game, hence old expressions in British English figurative of a starting line or mark.
taw (v.)
"prepare (leather, skin, hide) for use," Middle English tauen, from Old English tawian, getawian "prepare, make ready, make; cultivate," also "harass, insult, outrage," from Proto-Germanic *tawōjanan (source also of Old Frisian tawa, Old Saxon toian, Middle Dutch tauwen, Dutch touwen, Old High German zouwen "to prepare," Old High German zawen "to succeed," Gothic taujan "to make, prepare").
This is reconstructed to be from a Proto-Germanic root *taw- "to make, manufacture" (compare tool (n.), and Old English towcraft "spinning"). Boutkan offers no IE etymology for it and writes that the derivation given in Pokorny "seems unlikely for semantic reasons" (and notes that Pokorny himself expressed doubts).
Specifically "to tan or cure by alum and salt." Related: Tawed; tawing. Agent noun tauier, tawyer, tower is attested from early 14c., mid-13c. as a surname.
taws (n.)
also tawse, c. 1500, "whip for driving a spinning top," later also "leather thong slit in strips at the end," an instrument of school discipline, chiefly Scottish, of uncertain origin, perhaps from the notion of tawed leather (see taw (v.)).
tawdry (adj.)
"no longer fresh or elegant but displayed as if it were so; in cheap and ostentatious imitation of what is rich or costly," 1670s, an adjectival use of the noun tawdry "silk necktie for women" (1610s). This was shortened from tawdry lace (1540s), a misdivision (with adhesion of the -t- from Saint) of St. Audrey's lace, "necktie or ribbon sold at the annual fair at Ely on Oct. 17 commemorating St. Audrey."
The necklaces came to represent rustic or cheap finery, especially as worn by country girls.
The saint was a queen of Northumbria, obit 679; her association with lace necklaces is that she supposedly died of a throat tumor, which, according to Bede, she considered God's punishment for her youthful stylishness:
But Southey ("Omniana") speculates that "Probably she wore this lace to conceal the scrofulous appearance." He also notes, in 1812, "It would not be readily supposed that Audrey is the same name as Ethelreda." Related: Tawdrily; tawdriness; tawdrum "a tawdry decoration."
tawny (adj.)
"tan-colored," later especially "brown with dark or dull yellowish-orange" mid-14c., tauni (late 13c. as a surname), from Anglo-French tauné "of or like the brownish-yellow of tanned leather," from Old French tané, tanét "dark brown, tan" (12c., Modern French tanné), past participle of taner "to tan hides," from Medieval Latin tannare (see tan (v.)).
Also as a noun, "a tawny color" (mid-14c.); in colonial British-English sometimes "brown-skinned person" (1650s). Related: Tawniness.
tax (v.)
c. 1300, taxen, "impose a tax on; demand, require, impose (a penalty)," from Old French taxer "impose a tax" (13c.) and directly from Latin taxare "evaluate, estimate, assess, handle," also "censure, charge," probably a frequentative form of tangere "to touch" (from PIE root *tag- "to touch, handle").
The meaning "subject (someone) to taxation" is from early 14c. The sense of "to burden, put a strain on" is recorded from early 14c.; the figurative use in this sense is by 1670s. The meaning "censure, reprove" is from 1560s. Its use in Luke ii in reference to the census translates Greek apographein "to enter on a list, enroll" is due to Tyndale. Related: Taxed; taxing.
tax (n.)
early 14c., "obligatory contribution levied by a sovereign or government," from Anglo-French tax, Old French taxe, and directly from Medieval Latin taxa, from Latin taxare (see tax (v.)). Related: Taxes.
Tax-gatherer is attested from 1550s. Tax-dodger "one who avoids payment of a tax or taxes" is by 1876. Tax-deduction is from 1942; tax-shelter is attested from 1961; tax-break by 1968; tax-bracket by 1975.
taxative (adj.)
"pertaining to taxation; having the function of taxing," 1862, from tax (n.) + -ative.
taxable (adj.)
"subject to taxation," late 15c., from Anglo-French taxable, Anglo-Latin taxabilis; see tax (v.) + -able. As a noun, "person or thing subject to taxation," from 1660s. Related: Taxability.
taxation (n.)
early 14c., taxacioun, "imposition of taxes, fact of laying a tax," from Anglo-French taxacioun, Old French taxacion and directly from Latin taxationem (nominative taxatio) "a rating, valuing, appraisal," noun of action from past-participle stem of taxare "evaluate, estimate," also "censure, charge" (see tax (v.)).
taxeme (n.)
unit of syntactic relationship, 1933, from Greek taxis "order, arrangement" (see taxis) + -eme.
taxis (n.)
"operation whereby displaced parts (as a hernia) are put back in their natural situation," 1758, medical Latin, from Greek taxis "arrangement, an arranging, the order or disposition of an army, battle array; order, regularity," verbal noun of tassein "arrange" (from PIE root *tag- "to touch, handle").
taxi (v.)
1911, of airplanes, from slang use of taxi (n.) for "aircraft," reinforced "in allusion to the way a taxi driver slowly cruises when looking for fares" [Barnhart], or perhaps directly from that sense. Related: Taxied; taxiing.
taxi (n.)
1907, shortening of taximeter cab (they were introduced in London in March 1907), from taximeter "automatic meter to record the distance and fare" (1898), from French taximètre, from German Taxameter (1890), coined from Medieval Latin taxa "tax, charge" (see tax (n.)) + meter (n.3). An earlier English form was taxameter (1894), used in horse-drawn cabs.
Taxi dancer "woman whose services may be hired at a dance hall" is recorded from 1930. Taxi squad in U.S. football is 1966, said to be from a former Cleveland Browns owner who gave his contracted reserve players jobs with his taxicab company to keep them paid and available ["Dictionary of American Slang"], but other explanations ("short-term hire" or "shuttling back and forth" from the main team) seem possible.
taxicab (n.)
also taxi-cab, "licensed motorcar fitted with a taximeter," 1907, short for taximeter cab; see taxi (n.) + cab (n.).
taxidermy (n.)
"art of preparing and preserving skins of animals and of stuffing and mounting the skins in forms resembling the living animal," 1820, from Greek taxis "arrangement, an arranging, the order or disposition of an army, battle array; order, regularity" (see tactics) + derma "skin" (from PIE root *der- "to split, flay, peel," with derivatives referring to skin and leather). Related: Taxidermist (1827); taxidermal; taxidermic.
taxine (adj.)
"pertaining to or resembling the yew," 1888, with -ine (1) + Latin taxus "yew tree," which presumably is connected to (but not directly from) Greek toxon "bow" (see toxic), yews being anciently the usual wood for making bows. The Greek word has been regarded as a loan-word from Scythian. Watkins suggests a possible source in Iranian taxša- "bow," from PIE *tekw- "to run, flee." Beekes, pointing to the early attestation of the Greek word, suggests a Pre-Greek origin.
taxman (n.)
"one whose occupation is collecting taxes," 1803, from tax (n.) + man (n.). Tax-gatherer is from 1550s; tax-taker from 1610s. Earlier were taxour (early 14c.) "assessor, person determining the amount of a fine" (from Anglo-French); taxator (early 15c.), from the Medieval Latin agent-noun.
taxon (n.)
"a taxonomic group," 1929, from German (1926), shortened from taxonomie (see taxonomy). The preferred plural is taxa.
taxonomic (adj.)
"pertaining to or relating to taxonomy," 1852; see taxonomy + -ic. Related: Taxonomical.
taxonomy (n.)
"science of classification," originally especially in natural history, 1819, from French taxonomie (1813), coined irregularly from Greek taxis "arrangement" (see tactics) + -nomia "method" (see -nomy).
taxonomist (n.)
"one who classifies objects in natural history according to a system or approved scheme," 1877; see taxonomy + -ist. Alternative taxonomer is by 1885.
taxpayer (n.)
also tax-payer, "one who is assessed and pays a tax," 1816, from tax (n.) + payer.
Taylor
surname, attested from late 12c., variant of tailor.
Tay-Sachs
fatal inherited disorder, 1907, named in German (1901) by German neurologist Henryk Higier (1866-1942) from names of British ophthalmologist Warren Tay (1843-1927) and U.S. physician and neurologist Warren Sachs (1858-1944) who had independently described it in 1881 and 1887 respectively.
T-bone (n.)
cut of steak, 1934, short for T-bone steak (1894); so called from the T-shaped bone that runs through it; see T + bone (n.).
The verb meaning "to strike (another car, bus, etc.) from the side" is by 1970. Adjectival use of T-bone in reference to such crashes is attested from 1938. The reference is to the position of the two vehicles at impact; the bone is perhaps an emphatic suggested by the meat name.
tchotchke (n.)
also tsatske, etc., "trinket, gewgaw," also (transferred) "pretty girl," 1964, American English, from Yiddish, from a Slavic source (compare Russian tsatska). The consonant cluster tch- sometimes is used in English for ch, "esp. in foreign words" [OED, 1989].