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View synonyms for tan

tan

1

[ tan ]

verb (used with object)

, tanned, tan·ning.
  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, tan·ning.
  1. to become tanned.

noun

  1. the brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun or open air.
  2. yellowish brown; light brown.

adjective

, tan·ner, tan·nest.
  1. of the color of tan; yellowish-brown.
  2. used in or relating to tanning processes, materials, etc.

tan

2

[ tan ]

Tan

3

[ tan ]

noun

  1. Amy, born 1952, U.S. novelist.

TAN

4

[ tan ]

noun

  1. tax-anticipation note.

tan

1

/ 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
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


verb

  1. to go brown or cause to go brown after exposure to ultraviolet rays

    she tans easily

  2. 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
  3. slang.
    tr to beat or flog
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. of the colour tan

    tan gloves

  2. used in or relating to tanning
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tan

2

/ tæn /

abbreviation for

  1. tangent (sense 2)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tan

  1. Abbreviation of tangent


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Derived Forms

  • ˈtannable, adjective
  • ˈtannish, adjective
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Other Words From

  • tanna·ble adjective
  • un·tanned adjective
  • well-tanned adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tan1

First recorded before 1000; 1920–25 tan 1fordef 2; Middle English tannen “to make hide into leather,” late Old English tannian (only in past participle getanned ), from Medieval Latin tannāre, derivative of tannum “oak bark, tanbark,” from Germanic; compare Old High German tanna “oak, fir,” akin to Dutch den “fir”

Origin of tan2

By shortening
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Word History and Origins

Origin of tan1

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
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. tan someone's hide, Informal. to beat someone soundly:

    She threatened to tan our hides if she found us on her property again.

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Example Sentences

Otis says he was wearing a tan jacket similar to one described by witnesses.

Little ricochets of dust kicked into the face of a tall man in a tan shalwar kameez and prayer cap.

Judging by the pictures of President Truong Tan Sang and Obama, Vietnam is showing some affection back.

During the season, he regularly takes a dugout seat where he can work on his tan.

The philosopher once complained about young men whose desire for learning resembled their desire for a sun tan.

She wore soiled Burberry, high-legged tan boots, and a peaked cap of distinctly military appearance.

The corporal, rather chalky-looking under his tan, stepped forward and laid a hand on MacRae's shoulder.

Woollen rags are mixed with cotton which has no manurial value, and the skin refuse from tan-works contains much lime.

I recognized the reddish tan that comes from facing a hot wind on the top of a moving boxcar.

He was as well groomed as usual, but he was unmistakably pale beneath his new coat of tan.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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