tan1

[tan] /tæn/
verb (used with object), tanned, tanning.
1.
to convert (a hide) into leather, especially by soaking or steeping in a bath prepared from tanbark or synthetically.
2.
to make brown by exposure to ultraviolet rays, as of the sun.
3.
Informal. to thrash; spank.
verb (used without object), tanned, tanning.
4.
to become tanned.
noun
5.
the brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun or open air.
6.
yellowish brown; light brown.
7.
tanbark.
adjective, tanner, tannest.
8.
of the color of tan; yellowish-brown.
9.
used in or relating to tanning processes, materials, etc.
Idioms
10.
tan someone's hide, Informal. to beat someone soundly:
She threatened to tan our hides if she found us on her property again.
Origin
before 1000; 1920-25 for def 2; Middle English tannen to make hide into leather, late Old English *tannian (in past participle getanned; cf. tanner1) < Medieval Latin tannāre, derivative of tannum oak bark, tanbark < Germanic; compare Old High German tanna oak, fir, akin to Dutch den fir
Related forms
tannable, adjective
untanned, adjective
well-tanned, adjective

tan2

[tan] /tæn/
noun
1.
tangent (def 5b).
Origin
by shortening

Tan

[tan] /tæn/
noun
1.
Amy, born 1952, U.S. novelist.

TAN

[tan] /tæn/
noun
1.
tax-anticipation note.

tan−1

Symbol, Trigonometry
1.
arc tangent.
Examples from the web for tan
  • Breeches are traditional in color, usually white, tan, or beige.
  • The seed coat is green or tan, which darkens buckwheat flour.
  • Finally, they were smoked over a fire, which gave the hides a light tan color.
British Dictionary definitions for tan

tan1

/tæn/
noun
1.
the brown colour produced by the skin after intensive exposure to ultraviolet rays, esp those of the sun
2.
a light or moderate yellowish-brown colour
3.
short for tanbark
verb tans, tanning, tanned
4.
to go brown or cause to go brown after exposure to ultraviolet rays: she tans easily
5.
to convert (a skin or hide) into leather by treating it with a tanning agent, such as vegetable tannins, chromium salts, fish oils, or formaldehyde
6.
(transitive) (slang) to beat or flog
adjective tanner, tannest
7.
of the colour tan: tan gloves
8.
used in or relating to tanning
Derived Forms
tannable, adjective
tannish, adjective
Word Origin
Old English tannian (unattested as infinitive, attested as getanned, past participle), from Medieval Latin tannāre, from tannum tanbark, perhaps of Celtic origin; compare Irish tana thin

tan2

/tæn/
abbreviation
1.
tangent (sense 2)
Word Origin and History for tan
v.

late Old English tannian "to convert hide into leather" (by steeping it in tannin), from Medieval Latin tannare "tan, dye, a tawny color" (c.900), from tannum "crushed oak bark," used in tanning leather, probably from a Celtic source (e.g. Breton tann "oak tree"). The meaning "make brown by exposure to the sun" first recorded 1520s. To tan (someone's) hide in the figurative sense is from 1660s. Related: Tanned; tanning.

n.

"bronze color imparted to skin by exposure to sun," 1749, see tan (v.). As a simple name for a brownish color, in any context, it is recorded from 1888. The adjective tan "of the color of tanned leather" is recorded from 1660s.

tan in Science
tan  
Abbreviation of tangent
Related Abbreviations for tan

tan

tangent

TAN

teeny area network