tare
1 Americannoun
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any of various vetches, especially Vicia sativa.
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the seed of a vetch.
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Bible. a noxious weed, probably the darnel.
noun
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the weight of the wrapping, receptacle, or conveyance containing goods.
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a deduction from the gross weight to allow for this.
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the weight of a vehicle without cargo, passengers, etc.
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a counterweight used in chemical analysis to balance the weight of a container.
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a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter T.
verb (used with object)
verb
noun
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the weight of the wrapping or container in which goods are packed
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a deduction from gross weight to compensate for this
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the weight of a vehicle without its cargo, passengers, etc
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an empty container used as a counterbalance in determining net weight
verb
noun
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any of various vetch plants, such as Vicia hirsuta ( hairy tare ) of Eurasia and N Africa
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the seed of any of these plants
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Bible a troublesome weed, thought to be the darnel
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
As you cook the salmon and vegetables, whether it’s on a cast-iron griddle or a hot grill, stay close so you can keep turning the skewers and brushing them with your homemade tare.
From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2022
Portioning ingredients with a scale means you can tare, or reset the scale to zero, after each addition and measure consecutively into a single bowl.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2020
He also has countless types of tare, the seasoning bases for ramen, none of which Yoo will discuss because these secret flavoring agents do most of the heavy lifting at noodle shops.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 26, 2020
Each bag includes the tare weight to ensure you pay only for what you are buying.
From Slate ● May 7, 2018
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
Measure out 400 c.c. double strength meat extract into a "tared" 2-litre flask, and add to it gelatine, 100 grammes.
From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by J. W. H. (John William Henry) Eyre
Measure out 400 c.c. distilled water into a "tared" 2-litre flask.
From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by J. W. H. (John William Henry) Eyre
The ether was poured off, as closely as practicable, into a tared capsule, where it was allowed to evaporate spontaneously.
From Scientific American Supplement, No. 492, June 6, 1885 by Various
Mix the two emulsions and wash into a tared 2-litre flask with 600 c.c. distilled water.
From The Elements of Bacteriological Technique A Laboratory Guide for Medical, Dental, and Technical Students. Second Edition Rewritten and Enlarged. by J. W. H. (John William Henry) Eyre
He ripped out and he rared, he tipped and he tared, he pranced and he charged like the grand entry at a circus.
From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume II. (of X.) by Marshall Pinckney Wilder
I was taring around the front lawn where he didn't want me; he was cross.
From Slave Narratives: a Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves Ohio Narratives by Work Projects Administration
Bago kep a shop in Smithfield market, and drov a taring good trade in the hoil and Italian way.
From The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush by William Makepeace Thackeray
At first some taring of a shock is felt when we realise that the old definitions and classifications are only matters of convenience, and really represent nothing in nature.
From The Gospel Of Evolution From "The Atheistic Platform", Twelve Lectures by Edward Aveling
A sudden, slow and taring voice, that sent a cold flush down her back and that raised the small hairs on the nape of her neck, came from behind.
From Scorched Earth by Walter D. Petrovic
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.
