tare

¹ American  

[tair] / tɛər /

noun

1. any of various vetches, especially Vicia sativa.

2. the seed of a vetch.

3. Bible. a noxious weed, probably the darnel.

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tare ² American  

[tair] / tɛər /

noun

1. the weight of the wrapping, receptacle, or conveyance containing goods.

2. a deduction from the gross weight to allow for this.

3. the weight of a vehicle without cargo, passengers, etc.

4. a counterweight used in chemical analysis to balance the weight of a container.

5. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter T.

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verb (used with object)

tared, taring

1. to ascertain, note, or allow for the tare of.

tare ³ American  

[tair] / tɛər /

verb

Archaic.

1. simple past tense and past participle of tear.

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tare ¹ British  

/ tɛə /

noun

1. the weight of the wrapping or container in which goods are packed

2. a deduction from gross weight to compensate for this

3. the weight of a vehicle without its cargo, passengers, etc

4. an empty container used as a counterbalance in determining net weight

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verb

1. (tr) to weigh (a package, etc) in order to calculate the amount of tare

tare ² British  

/ tɛə /

noun

1. any of various vetch plants, such as Vicia hirsuta ( hairy tare ) of Eurasia and N Africa

2. the seed of any of these plants

3. Bible a troublesome weed, thought to be the darnel

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Etymology

Origin of tare¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English tar(e), thar(e) “vetch”; akin to Dutch tarwe, Middle Low German terwe “wheat”

Origin of tare²

First recorded in 1480–90; from Middle French (equivalent to Medieval Latin, Italian, Provençal, Spanish, Portuguese tara, Spanish atara ), ultimately from Arabic ṭarḥah “what is thrown away, rejection, subtraction,” derivative of ṭaraḥa “to throw, throw away”

Explanation

The tare of a container is its weight when it's empty, which is important to know when you can't weigh something without putting it into something else. Since you can't measure the weight of, say, olive oil without putting it into a container, you need to find out how much the container weighs, its tare, so you don't add that to the weight of the olive oil. The same thing goes for cargo containers, trucks, airplanes, railroad cars. In chemistry, a tare is a counterweight used on this same principle. Tare is also a kind of weedy grass that grows in grain fields or that's raised for forage.

Example Sentences

His nigiri is adorned with nothing more than a flicker of wasabi and a quick wash of tare.

From New York Times • Aug. 31, 2021

Plate them with a small bowl of the remaining tare and serve with the smashed cucumber salad.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 24, 2019

Each bag includes the tare weight to ensure you pay only for what you are buying.

From Slate • May 7, 2018

Plus, the sauce they’re served atop — a thick Japanese tare — is enhanced by the unctuous filling that spills out.

From Washington Post • Mar. 9, 2017

By such lessons did I become acclimated to scientific calculation in even the meanest function, so learning the secrets of tare and gross.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• allowance
• concession
• decrease
• deduction
• exemption
• premium
• rebate