Tarzan

[ tahr-zuhn, -zan ]

noun

1. the hero of a series of jungle stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
2. a person of superior or superhuman physical strength, agility, and prowess.

Tarzan

/ ˈtɑːzən /

noun

1. informal.
   sometimes not capital a man with great physical strength, agility, and virility

Tarzan

¹

1. A character in popular novels by the twentieth-century American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. ( See under “Mythology and Folklore.” )

Tarzan

²

1. A character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in the early twentieth century. Tarzan, born to aristocratic parents but orphaned in Africa , is raised by apes, who teach him to speak their language.

Notes

By extension, a “Tarzan” is a macho male, figuratively thumping his chest to get attention.

The adventures of Tarzan have been chronicled in countless books, comic strips, animated cartoons, radio and television series, and motion pictures.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tarzan¹

C20: after the hero of a series of stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Example Sentences

US actor Ron Ely, best known for playing the role of Tarzan in the 1960s television show of the same name, has died aged 86.

From BBC

A British diplomat responded that the islands were home only to “some few Tarzans or Man Fridays whose origins are obscure and are hopefully being wished on to Mauritius”.

From BBC

Among the heroes availing themselves of this innovation was one Johnny Weissmuller – later to find fame as cinema’s Tarzan.

From BBC

With it came some light interactive and digital touches, but Disneyland and Walt Disney Imagineering, the division of the company responsible for theme park experiences, has given Tarzan the boot.

From Los Angeles Times

Disneyland provided media a tour of the treehouse Friday morning, and those familiar with the previous Tarzan’s Treehouse, which closed last year, will find a much more lively space.

From Los Angeles Times