TAP Tap, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tapped; p. pr. & vb. n. Tapping.] Etym: [F. taper to strike; of Teutonic origin; cf. dial. G. tapp, tapps, a blow, tappe a paw, fist, G. tappen to grope.]
1. To strike with a slight or gentle blow; to touch gently; to rap lightly; to pat; as, to tap one with the hand or a cane.
2. To put a new sole or heel on; as, to tap shoes.
TAPTap, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tape. See Tap to strike.]
1. A gentle or slight blow; a light rap; a pat. Addison.
2. A piece of leather fastened upon the bottom of a boot or shoe in repairing or renewing the sole or heel.
3. pl. (Mil.)
Defn: A signal, by drum or trumpet, for extinguishing all lights in soldiers' quarters and retiring to bed, — usually given about a quarter of an hour after tattoo. Wilhelm.
TAPTap, v. i.
Defn: To strike a gentle blow.
TAP Tap, n. Etym: [AS. tæppa, akin to D. tap, G. zapfen, OHG. zapfo, Dan. tap, Sw. tapp, Icel. tappi. Cf. Tampion, Tip.]
1. A hole or pipe through which liquor is drawn.
2. A plug or spile for stopping a hole pierced in a cask, or the like; a faucet.
3. Liquor drawn through a tap; hence, a certain kind or quality of liquor; as, a liquor of the same tap. [Colloq.]
4. A place where liquor is drawn for drinking; a taproom; a bar. [Colloq.]
5. (Mech.)
Defn: A tool for forming an internal screw, as in a nut, consisting of a hardened steel male screw grooved longitudinally so as to have cutting edges. On tap. (a) Ready to be drawn; as, ale on tap. (b) Broached, or furnished with a tap; as, a barrel on tap. — Plug tap (Mech.), a screw-cutting tap with a slightly tapering end. — Tap bolt, a bolt with a head on one end and a thread on the other end, to be screwed into some fixed part, instead of passing through the part and receiving a nut. See Illust. under Bolt. — Tap cinder (Metal.), the slag of a puddling furnace.
TAPTap, v. t.
1. To pierce so as to let out, or draw off, a fluid; as, to tap a cask, a tree, a tumor, etc.
2. Hence, to draw from (anything) in any analogous way; as, to tap telegraph wires for the purpose of intercepting information; to tap the treasury.
3. To draw, or cause to flow, by piercing. Shak. He has been tapping his liquors. Addison.
4. (Mech.)
Defn: To form an internal screw in (anything) by means of a tool called a tap; as, to tap a nut.
TAPATa"pa, n.
Defn: A kind of cloth prepared by the Polynesians from the inner bark of the paper mulberry; — sometimes called also kapa.
TAPADERA; TAPADERO Tap`a*de"ra, Tap`a*de"ro, n. [Also tapidero.] [Sp. tapadera lid, cover.]
Defn: One of the leather hoods which cover the stirrups of a Mexican saddle.
TAPAYAXINTa`pa*yax"in, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A Mexican spinous lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare) having a head somewhat like that of a toad; — called also horned toad.
TAPETape, n. Etym: [AS. tæppe a fillet. Cf. Tapestry, Tippet.]
1. A narrow fillet or band of cotton or linen; a narrow woven fabric used for strings and the like; as, curtains tied with tape.
2. A tapeline; also, a metallic ribbon so marked as to serve as a tapeline; as, a steel tape. Red tape. See under Red. — Tape grass (Bot.), a plant (Vallisneria spiralis) with long ribbonlike leaves, growing in fresh or brackish water; — called also fresh-water eelgrass, and, in Maryland, wild celery. — Tape needle. See Bodkin, n., 4.
TAPELINETape"line`, n.
Defn: A painted tape, marked with linear dimensions, as inches, feet, etc., and often inclosed in a case, — used for measuring.
TAPERTa"per, n. Etym: [AS. tapur, tapor, taper; cf. Ir. tapar, W. tampr.]
1. A small wax candle; a small lighted wax candle; hence, a small light. Get me a taper in my study, Lucius. Shak.
2. A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness in an elongated object; as, the taper of a spire.
TAPER Ta"per, a. Etym: [Supposed to be from taper, n., in allusion to its form.]
Defn: Regularly narrowed toward the point; becoming small toward one end; conical; pyramidical; as, taper fingers.
TAPERTa"per, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tapered; p. pr. & vb. n. Tapering.]
Defn: To become gradually smaller toward one end; as, a sugar loaf tapers toward one end.
TAPERTa"per, v. t.
Defn: To make or cause to taper.
TAPEREDTa"pered, a.
Defn: Lighted with a taper or tapers; as, a tapered choir. [R.] T.Warton.
TAPERINGTa"per*ing, a.
Defn: Becoming gradually smaller toward one end.— Ta"per*ing*ly, adv.
TAPERNESSTa"per*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being taper; tapering form; taper.Shenstone.
TAPESTRY Tap"es*try, n.; pl. Tapestries. Etym: [F. tapissere, fr. tapisser to carpet, to hang, or cover with tapestry, fr. tapis a carpet, carpeting, LL. tapecius, fr. L. tapete carpet, tapestry, Gr. Tapis, Tippet.]
Defn: A fabric, usually of worsted, worked upon a warp of linen or other thread by hand, the designs being usually more or less pictorial and the stuff employed for wall hangings and the like. The term is also applied to different kinds of embroidery. Tapestry carpet, a kind of carpet, somewhat resembling Brussels, in which the warp is printed before weaving, so as to produce the figure in the cloth. — Tapestry moth. (Zoöl.) Same as Carpet moth, under Carpet.
TAPESTRYTap"es*try, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tapestried; p. pr. & vb. n.Tapestrying.]
Defn: To adorn with tapestry, or as with tapestry. The Trosachs wound, as now, between gigantic walls of rock tapestried with broom and wild roses. Macaulay.
TAPESTRY BEETLETap"es*try bee"tle.
Defn: A small black dermestoid beetle (Attagenus piceus) whose larva feeds on tapestry, carpets, silk, fur, flour, and various other goods.
TAPETTap"et, n. Etym: [L. tapete. See Tapestry.]
Defn: Worked or figured stuff; tapestry. [R.] Spenser.
TAPETITap"e*ti, n.; pl. Tapetis. Etym: [Braz.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small South American hare (Lepus Braziliensis).
TAPETUMTa*pe"tum, n. Etym: [NL., from L. tapete a carpet, a tapestry.](Anat.)
Defn: An area in the pigmented layer of the choroid coat of the eye in many animals, which has an iridescent or metallic luster and helps to make the eye visible in the dark. Sometimes applied to the whole layer of pigmented epithelium of the choroid.
TAPEWORMTape"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of cestode worms belonging to Tænia and many allied genera. The body is long, flat, and composed of numerous segments or proglottids varying in shape, those toward the end of the body being much larger and longer than the anterior ones, and containing the fully developed sexual organs. The head is small, destitute of a mouth, but furnished with two or more suckers (which vary greatly in shape in different genera), and sometimes, also, with hooks for adhesion to the walls of the intestines of the animals in which they are parasitic. The larvæ (see Cysticercus) live in the flesh of various creatures, and when swallowed by another animal of the right species develop into the mature tapeworm in its intestine. See Illustration in Appendix.
Note: Three species are common parasites of man: the pork tapeworm (Tænia solium), the larva of which is found in pork; the beef tapeworm (T. mediocanellata), the larva of which lives in the flesh of young cattle; and the broad tapeworm (Bothriocephalus latus) which is found chiefly in the inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. See also Echinococcus, Cysticercus, Proglottis, and 2d Measles, 4.
TAPHOUSETap"house`, n.
Defn: A house where liquors are retailed.
TAPHRENCHYMATaph*ren"chy*ma, n. Etym: [Gr. enchyma, as in parenchyma.] (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Bothrenchyma.
TAPINAGETap"i*nage, n. Etym: [See Tapish.]
Defn: A lurking or skulking. [Obs.] Gower.
TAPIOCATap`i*o"ca, n. Etym: [Braz. tapioka: cf. Pg., Sp. & F. tapioca.]
Defn: A coarsely granular substance obtained by heating, and thus partly changing, the moistened starch obtained from the roots of the cassava. It is much used in puddings and as a thickening for soups. See Cassava.
TAPIRTa"pir, n. Etym: [Braz. tapy'ra: cf. F. tapir.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of large odd-toed ungulates belonging to Tapirus, Elasmognathus, and allied genera. They have a long prehensile upper lip, short ears, short and stout legs, a short, thick tail, and short, close hair. They have three toes on the hind feet, and four toes on the fore feet, but the outermost toe is of little use.
Note: The best-known species are the Indian tapir (Tapirus Indicus), native of the East Indies and Malacca, which is black with a broad band of white around the middle, and the common American tapir (T. Americanus), which, when adult, is dull brown. Several others species inhabit the Andes and Central America. Tapir tiger (Zoöl.), the wallah.
TAPIROIDTa"pir*oid, a. Etym: [Tapir + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Allied to the tapir, or the Tapir family.
TAPISTa"pis, n. Etym: [F. See Tapestry.]
Defn: Tapestry; formerly, the cover of a council table. On, or Upon, the tapis, on the table, or under consideration; as, to lay a motion in Parliament on the tapis.
TAPISTap"is, v. t.
Defn: To cover or work with figures like tapestry. [R.] Holland.
TAPISERTap"is*er, n. Etym: [F. tapissier.]
Defn: A maker of tapestry; an upholsterer. [R.] Chaucer.
TAPISHTap"ish, v. i. Etym: [F. se tapir to squat.]
Defn: To lie close to the ground, so as to be concealed; to squat; to crouch; hence, to hide one's self. [Written also tappis, tappish, tappice.] [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] As a hound that, having roused a hart, Although he tappish ne'er so soft. Chapman.
TAPLASHTap"lash`, n.
Defn: Bad small beer; also, the refuse or dregs of liquor. [Obs. orProv. Eng.]The taplash of strong ale and wine. Taylor (1630).
TAPLINGSTap"lings, n. pl.
Defn: The strong double leathers by which the two parts of a flail are united. Halliwell.
TAPOA TAFATa*po"a ta"fa. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small carnivorous marsupial (Phascogale penicillata) having long, soft fur, and a very long tail with a tuft of long hairs at the end; — called also brush-tailed phascogale.
TAPPENTap"pen, n.
Defn: An obstruction, or indigestible mass, found in the intestine of bears and other animals during hibernation.
TAPPERTap"per, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopus minor); — called also tapperer, tabberer, little wood pie, barred woodpecker, wood tapper, hickwall, and pump borer. [Prov. Eng.]
TAPPESTERTap"pes*ter, n. Etym: [See Tapster.]
Defn: A female tapster. [Obs.] Chaucer.
TAPPETTap"pet, n. (Mach.)
Defn: A lever or projection moved by some other piece, as a cam, or intended to tap or touch something else, with a view to produce change or regulate motion. G. Francis. Tappet motion, a valve motion worked by tappets from a reciprocating part, without an eccentric or cam, — used in steam pumps, etc.
TAPPET RODTap"pet rod. (Mech.)
Defn: A rod carrying a tappet or tappets, as one for closing the valves in a Cornish pumping engine.
TAPPICE; TAPPISTap"pice, Tap"pis, v. i.
Defn: See Tapish.
TAPPIT HENTap"pit hen`.
1. A hen having a tuft of feathers on her head. [Scot.] Jamieson.
2. A measuring pot holding one quart (according to some, three quarts); — so called from a knob on the lid, though to resemble a crested hen. [Scot.] Jamieson.
TAPPOONTap*poon", n. [Sp. tampón a stopper.] (Irrigation)
Defn: A piece of wood or sheet metal fitted into a ditch to dam up the water so as to overflow a field. [U. S.]
TAPROOMTap"room`, n.
Defn: A room where liquors are kept on tap; a barroom. The ambassador was put one night into a miserable taproom, full of soldiers smoking. Macaulay.
TAPROOTTap"root`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The root of a plant which penetrates the earth directly downward to a considerable depth without dividing.
TAPSTER Tap"ster, n. Etym: [AS. tæppestre a female tapster. See Tap a plug, pipe, and -ster.]
Defn: One whose business is to tap or draw ale or other liquor.
TAQUA-NUTTa"qua-nut`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A Central American name for the ivory nut.
TARTar, n. Etym: [Abbrev. from tarpaulin.]
Defn: A sailor; a seaman. [Colloq.] Swift.
TARTar, n. Etym: [OE. terre, tarre, AS. teru, teoru; akin to D. teer, G.teer, theer, Icel. tjara, Sw. tjära, Dan. tiære, and to E. tree. *63.See Tree.]
Defn: A thick, black, viscous liquid obtained by the distillation of wood, coal, etc., and having a varied composition according to the temperature and material employed in obtaining it. Coal tar. See in the Vocabulary. — Mineral tar (Min.), a kind of soft native bitumen. — Tar board, a strong quality of millboard made from junk and old tarred rope. Knight. — Tar water. (a) A cold infusion of tar in water, used as a medicine. (b) The ammoniacal water of gas works. — Wood tar, tar obtained from wood. It is usually obtained by the distillation of the wood of the pine, spruce, or fir, and is used in varnishes, cements, and to render ropes, oakum, etc., impervious to water.
TARTar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tarred; p. pr. & vb. n. Tarring.]
Defn: To smear with tar, or as with tar; as, to tar ropes; to tar cloth. To tar and feather a person. See under Feather, v. t.
TARANIS Tar"a*nis, n. Etym: [L. taranis, from the Celtic; cf. W. & Corn. taran thunder.] (Myth.)
Defn: A Celtic divinity, regarded as the evil principle, but confounded by the Romans with Jupiter.
TARANTASSTar`an*tass", n. Etym: [Russ. tarantas'.]
Defn: A low four-wheeled carriage used in Russia. The carriage box rests on two long, springy poles which run from the fore to the hind axletree. When snow falls, the wheels are taken off, and the body is mounted on a sledge.
TARANTELLA Tar`an*tel"la, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.) (a) A rapid and delirious sort of Neapolitan dance in 6-8 time, which moves in whirling triplets; — so called from a popular notion of its being a remedy against the poisonous bite of the tarantula. Some derive its name from Taranto in Apulia. (b) Music suited to such a dance.
TARANTISMTar"ant*ism, n. Etym: [It. tarantismo: cf. F. tarentisme. SeeTarantula.] (Med.)
Defn: A nervous affection producing melancholy, stupor, and an uncontrollable desire to dance. It was supposed to be produced by the bite of the tarantula, and considered to be incapable of cure except by protraced dancing to appropriate music. [Written also tarentism.]
TARANTULATa*ran"tu*la, n.; pl. E. Tarantulas, L. Tarantulæ. Etym: [NL., fr.It. tarantola, fr. L. Tarentum, now Taranto, in the south of Italy.](Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of large spiders, popularly supposed to be very venomous, especially the European species (Tarantula apuliæ). The tarantulas of Texas and adjacent countries are large species of Mygale. [Written also tarentula.] Tarantula killer, a very large wasp (Pompilus formosus), which captures the Texan tarantula (Mygale Hentzii) and places it in its nest as food for its young, after paralyzing it by a sting.
TARANTULATEDTa*ran"tu*la`ted, a.
Defn: Bitten by a tarantula; affected with tarantism.
TARBOGANTar*bog"an, n. & v.
Defn: See Toboggan.
TARBOOSH Tar*boosh", n. Etym: [Ar. tarb; perhaps from Per. sar-posh headdress: cf. F. tarbouch.]
Defn: A red cap worn by Turks and other Eastern nations, sometimes alone and sometimes swathed with linen or other stuff to make a turban. See Fez.
TARDATION Tar*da"tion, n. Etym: [L. tardatio, fr. tardare, tardatum, to retard, delay, fr. tardus slow.]
Defn: The act of retarding, or delaying; retardation. [Obs.]
TARDIGRADATar`di*gra"da, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Tardigrade, a.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A tribe of edentates comprising the sloths. They are noted for the slowness of their movements when on the ground. See Sloth, 3.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of minute aquatic arachnids; — called also bear animalcules, sloth animalcules, and water bears.
TARDIGRADE Tar"di*grade, a. Etym: [L. tardigradus; tardus slow + gradi to step: cf. F. tardigrade.]
1. Moving or stepping slowly; slow-paced. [R.] G. Eliot.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Tardigrada.
TARDIGRADETar"di*grade, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Tardigrada.
TARDIGRADOUSTar"di*gra`dous, a.
Defn: Moving slowly; slow-paced. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
TARDILYTar"di*ly, adv.
Defn: In a tardy manner; slowly.
TARDINESSTar"di*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being tardy.
TARDITATIONTar`di*ta"tion, n.
Defn: Tardiness. [Obs.] To instruct them to avoid all snares of tarditation, in the Lord's affairs. Herrick.
TARDITYTar"di*ty, n. Etym: [L. tarditas.]
Defn: Slowness; tardiness. [R.] Sir K. Digby.
TARDOTar"do, a. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: Slow; — a direction to perform a passage slowly.
TARDOTar"do, n. Etym: [Sp., slow, L. tardus.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A sloth.
TARDY Tar"dy, a. [Compar. Tardier; superl. Tardiest.] Etym: [F. tardif, fr. (assumed) LL. tardivus, fr. L. tardus slow.]
1. Moving with a slow pace or motion; slow; not swift. And check the tardy flight of time. Sandys. Tardy to vengeance, and with mercy brave. Prior.
2. Not being inseason; late; dilatory; — opposed to prompt; as, to be tardy in one's payments. Arbuthnot. The tardy plants in our cold orchards placed. Waller.
3. Unwary; unready. [Obs.] Hudibras.
4. Criminal; guilty. [Obs.] Collier.
Syn.— Slow; dilatory; tedious; reluctant. See Slow.
TARDYTar"dy, v. t.
Defn: To make tardy. [Obs.] Shak.
TARETare, obs. imp. of Tear.
Defn: Tore.
TARE Tare, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. tare brisk, eager, OE. tarefitch the wild vetch.]
1. A weed that grows among wheat and other grain; — alleged by modern naturalists to be the Lolium temulentum, or darnel. Didst not thou sow good seed in thy field From whence then hath it tares Matt. xiii. 27. The "darnel" is said to be the tares of Scripture, and is the only deleterious species belonging to the whole order. Baird.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A name of several climbing or diffuse leguminous herbs of the genus Vicia; especially, the V. sativa, sometimes grown for fodder.
TARE Tare, n. Etym: [F. tare; cf. Pr., Sp., Pg., & It. tara; all fr. Ar. tarah thrown away, removed, fr. taraha to reject, remove.] (Com.)
Defn: Deficientcy in the weight or quantity of goods by reason of the weight of the cask, bag, or whatever contains the commodity, and is weighed with it; hence, the allowance or abatement of a certain weight or quantity which the seller makes to the buyer on account of the weight of such cask, bag, etc.
TARETare, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tared; p. pr. & vb. n. Taring.]
Defn: To ascertain or mark the tare of (goods).
TAREDTared, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Weighed; determined; reduced to equal or standard weight; as, tared filter papers, used in weighing precipitates.
TARENTETa*ren"te, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tarente.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A harmless lizard of the Gecko family (Platydactylus Mauritianicus) found in Southern Europe and adjacent countries, especially among old walls and ruins.
TARENTISMTar"ent*ism, n.
Defn: See Tarantism.
TARENTULATa*ren"tu*la, n.
Defn: See Tarantula.
TARGETarge, n. Etym: [F. Cf. Target.]
Defn: A shield or target. [Obs. or Poetic] "A buckler on a targe."Chaucer.
TARGETTar"get, n. Etym: [OF. targette, dim. of OF. & F. targe, of Teutonicorigin; cf. AS. targe, OD. targie, G. zarge a frame, case, border,OHG. zarga, Icel. targa shield.]
1. A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war.
2. (a) A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile. (b) The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark; as, he made a good target.
3. (Surveying)
Defn: The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff.
4. (Railroad)
Defn: A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal.
TARGETEDTar"get*ed, a.
Defn: Furnished, armed, or protected, with a target.
TARGETEERTar`get*eer", n.
Defn: One who is armed with a target or shield. [Written also targetier.]
TARGUM Tar"gum, n.; pl. Targums. Heb. Targumim. Etym: [Chald. targum interpretation, fr. targem to interpret. Cf. Truchman, and Dragoman.]
Defn: A translation or paraphrase of some portion of the OldTestament Scriptures in the Chaldee or Aramaic language or dialect.
TARGUMISTTar"gum*ist, n.
Defn: The writer of a Targum; one versed in the Targums.
TARIFF Tar"iff, n. Etym: [F. tarif; cf. Sp. & Pg. tarifa, It. tariffa; all fr. Ar. ta'rif information, explanation, definition, from 'arafa, to know, to inform, explain.]
1. A schedule, system, or scheme of duties imposed by the government of a country upon goods imported or exported; as, a revenue tariff; a protective tariff; Clay's compromise tariff. (U.S. 1833).
Note: The United States and Great Britain impose no duties on exports; hence, in these countries the tariff refers only to imports.
2. The duty, or rate of duty, so imposed; as, the tariff on wool; a tariff of two cents a pound.
3. Any schedule or system of rates, changes, etc.; as, a tariff of fees, or of railroad fares. Bolingbroke.
TARIFFTar"iff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tariffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Tariffing.]
Defn: To make a list of duties on, as goods.
TARINTar"in, n. Etym: [F.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The siskin. [Prov.]
TARINGTar"ing, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common tern; — called also tarret, and tarrock. [Prov.Eng.]
TARLATANTar"la*tan, n.
Defn: A kind of thin, transparent muslin, used for dresses.
TARNTarn, n. Etym: [OE. terne, Icel. tjörn.]
Defn: A mountain lake or pool.A lofty precipice in front, A silent tarn below. Wordsworth.
TARNISH Tar"nish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tarnished; p. pr. & vb. n. Tarnishing.] Etym: [F. ternir, fr. OHG. tarnen to darken, to conceal, hide; akin to OS. dernian to hide, AS. dernan, dyrnan, OHG. tarni hidden, OS. derni, AS. derne, dyrne. Cf. Dern, a., and see -ish.]
Defn: To soil, or change the appearance of, especially by an alternation induced by the air, or by dust, or the like; to diminish, dull, or destroy the luster of; to sully; as, to tarnish a metal; to tarnish gilding; to tarnish the purity of color. "Tarnished lace." Fuller. Used also figuratively; as, to tarnish one's honor.
Syn.— To sully; stain; dim.
TARNISHTar"nish, v. i.
Defn: To lose luster; to become dull; as, gilding will tarnish in afoul air.Till thy fresh glories, which now shine so bright, Grow stale andtarnish with our daily sight. Dryden.
TARNISHTar"nish, n.
1. The quality or state of being tarnished; stain; soil; blemish.
2. (Min.)
Defn: A thin film on the surface of a metal, usually due to a slight alteration of the original color; as, the steel tarnish in columbite.
TARNISHERTar"nish*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, tarnishes.
TAROTa"ro, n. Etym: [From the Polynesian name.] (Bot.)
Defn: A name for several aroid plants (Colocasia antiquorum, var. esculenta, Colocasia macrorhiza, etc.), and their rootstocks. They have large ovate-sagittate leaves and large fleshy rootstocks, which are cooked and used for food in tropical countries.
TAROTTar"ot, n. Etym: [F.; cf. It. tarocco.]
Defn: A game of cards; — called also taroc. Hoyle.
TARPANTar"pan, n. Etym: [From the native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A wild horse found in the region of the Caspian Sea.
TARPAULINTar*pau"lin, n. Etym: [Tar + palling a covering, pall to cover. SeePall a covering.]
1. A piece of canvas covered with tar or a waterproof composition, used for covering the hatches of a ship, hammocks, boats, etc.
2. A hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others.
3. Hence, a sailor; a seaman; a tar. To a landsman, these tarpaulins, as they were called, seemed a strange and half-savage race. Macaulay.
TARPEIANTar*pe"ian, a. [L. Tarpeius, prop., pertaining to Tarpeia.]
Defn: Pertaining to or designating a rock or peak of the Capitoline hill, Rome, from which condemned criminals were hurled.
TARPONTar"pon, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Tarpum.
TARPUMTar"pum, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A very large marine fish (Megapolis Atlanticus) of the Southern United States and the West Indies. It often becomes six or more feet in length, and has large silvery scales. The scales are a staple article of trade, and are used in fancywork. Called also tarpon, sabalo, savanilla, silverfish, and jewfish.
TARQUINISHTar"quin*ish, a.
Defn: Like a Tarquin, a king of ancient Rome; proud; haughty; overbearing.
TARRACETar"race, n.
Defn: See Trass. [Obs.]
TARRAGON Tar"ra*gon, n. Etym: [Sp. taragona, Ar. tarkh; perhaps fr. Gr. draco; cf. L. dracunculus tarragon. Cf. Dragon.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Artemisa (A. dracunculus), much used inFrance for flavoring vinegar.
TARRASTar"ras, n.
Defn: See Trass. [Obs.]
TARRETarre, v. t. Etym: [OE. tarien, terien, to irritate, provoke, AS.tergan to pull, pluck, torment; probably akin to E. tear, v.t. *63.Cf. Tarry, v.]
Defn: To set on, as a dog; to incite. [Obs.] Shak.
TARRIANCETar"ri*ance, n.
Defn: The act or time of tarrying; delay; lateness. [Archaic] Shak.And after two days' tarriance there, returned. Tennyson.
TARRIERTar"ri*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, tarries.
TARRIERTar"ri*er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A kind of dig; a terrier. [Obs.]
TARROCK Tar"rock, n. Etym: [Greenland tattarock.] (Zoöl.) (a) The young of the kittiwake gull before the first molt. (b) The common guillemot. [Prov. Eng.] (c) The common tern.
TARRYTar"ry, a. Etym: [From Tar, n.]
Defn: Consisting of, or covered with, tar; like tar.
TARRY Tar"ry, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tarried; p. pr. & vb. n. Tarrying.] Etym: [OE. tarien to irritate (see Tarre); but with a change of sense probably due to confusion with OE. targen to delay, OF. targier, fr. (assumed) LL. tardicare, fr. L. tardare to make slow, to tarry, fr. tardus slow. Cf. Tardy.]
1. To stay or remain behind; to wait. Tarry ye for us, until we come again. Ex. xxiv. 14.
2. To delay; to put off going or coming; to loiter. Come down unto me, tarry not. Gen. xic. 9. One tarried here, there hurried one. Emerson.
3. To stay; to abide; to continue; to lodge. Tarry all night, and wash your feet. Gen. xix. 2.
Syn.— To abide; continue; lodge; await; loiter.
TARRYTar"ry, v. t.
1. To delay; to defer; to put off. [Obs.] Tarry us here no longer than to-morrow. Chaucer.
2. To wait for; to stay or stop for. [Archaic]He that will have a cake out of the wheat must needs tarry thegrinding. Shak.He plodded on, . . . tarrying no further question. Sir W. Scott.
TARRYTar"ry, n.
Defn: Stay; stop; delay. [Obs.] E. Lodge.
TARSALTar"sal, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the tarsus (either of the foot or eye).— n.
Defn: A tarsal bone or cartilage; a tarsale. Tarsal tetter (Med.), an eruptive disease of the edges of the eyelids; a kind of bleareye.
TARSALTar"sal, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Tercel. [Obs.]
TARSALETar*sa"le, n.; pl. Tarsalia. Etym: [NL.] (Anat.)
Defn: One of the bones or cartilages of the tarsus; esp., one of the series articulating with the metatarsals.
TARSETarse, n. Etym: [Cf. Tassel, Tiercel.] (Falconry)
Defn: The male falcon.
TARSETarse, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tarse.] (Anat.)
Defn: tarsus.
TARSECTOMYTar*sec"to*my, n. Etym: [Tarsus + Gr. (Surg.)
Defn: The operation of excising one or more of the bones of the tarsus.
TARSELTar"sel, n.
Defn: A male hawk. See Tercel. [Obs.]
TARSITar"si, n.,
Defn: pl. of Tarsus.
TARSIA; TARSIATURATar"si*a, Tar`si*a*tu"ra, n. Etym: [It.]
Defn: A kind of mosaic in woodwork, much employed in Italy in the fifteenth century and later, in which scrolls and arabesques, and sometimes architectural scenes, landscapes, fruits, flowers, and the like, were produced by inlaying pieces of wood of different colors and shades into panels usually of walnut wood.
TARSIERTar"si*er, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tarsier.]
Defn: See Tarsius.
TARSIUSTar"si*us, n. Etym: [NL. See Tarsus.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of nocturnal lemurine mammals having very large eyes and ears, a long tail, and very long proximal tarsal bones; — called also malmag, spectral lemur, podji, and tarsier.
TARSO-Tar"so-.
Defn: A combining form used in anatomy to indicate connection with, or relation to, the tarsus; as, tarsometatarsus.
TARSOMETATARSAL Tar`so*met`a*tar"sal, a. (Anat.) (a) Of or pertaining to both the tarsus and metatarsus; as, the tarsometatarsal articulations. (b) Of or pertaining to the tarsometatarsus.
TARSOMETATARSUSTar`so*met`a*tar"sus, n.; pl. Tarsometatarsi. Etym: [NL.] (Anat.)
Defn: The large bone next the foot in the leg of a bird. It is formed by the union of the distal part of the tarsus with the metatarsus.
TARSORRHAPHYTar*sor"rha*phy, n. Etym: [Tarsus + Gr. (Surg.)
Defn: An operation to diminish the size of the opening between eyelids when enlarged by surrounding cicatrices.
TARSOTOMYTar*sot"o*my, n. Etym: [Tarsus + Gr. (Surg.)
Defn: The operation of cutting or removing the tarsal cartilages.
TARSUSTar"sus, n.; pl. Tarsi. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Tarse.]
1. (Anat.) (a) The ankle; the bones or cartilages of the part of the foot between the metatarsus and the leg, consisting in man of seven short bones. (b) A plate of dense connective tissue or cartilage in the eyelid of man and many animals; — called also tarsal cartilage, and tarsal plate.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The foot of an insect or a crustacean. It usually consists of form two to five joints.
TARTTart, a. Etym: [AS. teart. *63. Cf. Tear, v. t.]
1. Sharp to the taste; acid; sour; as, a tart apple.
2. Fig.: Sharp; keen; severe; as, a tart reply; tart language; a tart rebuke. Why art thou tart, my brother Bunyan.
TART Tart, n. Etym: [OE. tarte, F. tarte; perhaps originally the same word as tourte, LL. torta, fr. L. tortus, p.p. of torquere to twist, bend, wind, because tarts were originally made of a twisted shape. Cf. Torture, n.]
Defn: A species of small open pie, or piece of pastry, containing jelly or conserve; a sort of fruit pie.
TARTAN Tar"tan, n. Etym: [F. tiretane linsey-woolsey, akin to Sp. tiritaña a sort of thin silk; cf. Sp. tiritar to shiver or shake with cold.]
Defn: Woolen cloth, checkered or crossbarred with narrow bands of various colors, much worn in the Highlands of Scotland; hence, any pattern of tartan; also, other material of a similar pattern. MacCullummore's heart will be as cold as death can make it, when it does not warm to the tartan. Sir W. Scott. The sight of the tartan inflamed the populace of London with hatred. Macaulay.
TARTAN Tar"tan, n. Etym: [F. tartane, or Sp., Pg., or It. tartana; all perhaps of Arabic origin.] (Naut.)
Defn: A small coasting vessel, used in the Mediterranean, having one mast carrying large leteen sail, and a bowsprit with staysail or jib.
TARTAR Tar"tar, n. Etym: [F. tartre (cf. Pr. tartari, Sp., Pg., & It. tartaro, LL. tartarum, LGr.
1. (Chem.)
Defn: A reddish crust or sediment in wine casks, consisting essentially of crude cream of tartar, and used in marking pure cream of tartar, tartaric acid, potassium carbonate, black flux, etc., and, in dyeing, as a mordant for woolen goods; — called also argol, wine stone, etc.
2. A correction which often incrusts the teeth, consisting of salivary mucus, animal matter, and phosphate of lime. Cream of tartar. (Chem.) See under Cream. — Tartar emetic (Med. Chem.), a double tartrate of potassium and basic antimony. It is a poisonous white crystalline substance having a sweetish metallic taste, and used in medicine as a sudorific and emetic.
TARTARTar"tar, n.
1. Etym: [Per. Tatar, of Tartar origin.]
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Tartary in Asia; a member of any oneof numerous tribes, chiefly Moslem, of Turkish origin, inhabiting theRussian Europe; — written also, more correctly but less usually,Tatar.
2. A person of a keen, irritable temper. To catch a tartar, to lay hold of, or encounter, a person who proves too strong for the assailant. [Colloq.]
TARTARTar"tar, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Tartary in Asia, or the Tartars.
TARTARTar"tar, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tartare.]
Defn: See Tartarus. Shak.
TARTARATEDTar"tar*a`ted, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Tartrated.
TARTAREAN; TARTAREOUS Tar*ta"re*an, Tar*ta"re*ous, a. Etym: [L. tartareus: cf. F. tartaréen.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Tartarus; hellish.
TARTAREOUSTar*ta"re*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. 1st Tartarous.]
1. Consisting of tartar; of the nature of tartar.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Having the surface rough and crumbling; as, many lichens are tartareous.
TARTARIAN; TARTARICTar*ta"ri*an, Tar*tar"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Tartary in Asia, or the Tartars. Tartarian lamb (Bot.), Scythian lamb. See Barometz.
TARTARIANTar*ta"ri*an, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The name of some kinds of cherries, as the Black Tartarian, or the White Tartarian.
TARTARICTar*tar"ic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to tartar; derived from, or resembling, tartar. Tartaric acid. (a) An acid widely diffused throughout the vegetable kingdom, as in grapes, mountain-ash berries, etc., and obtained from tartar as a white crystalline substance, C2H2(OH)2.(CO2H)2, having a strong pure acid taste. It is used in medicine, in dyeing, calico printing, photography, etc., and also as a substitute for lemon juice. Called also dextro-tartaric acid. (b) By extension, any one of the series of isomeric acids (racemic acid, levotartaric acid, inactive tartaric acid) of which tartaric acid proper is the type.
TARTARINETar"tar*ine, n. (Old Chem.)
Defn: Potassium carbonate, obtained by the incineration of tartar.[Obs.]
TARTARIZETar"tar*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tartarized; p. pr. & vb. n.Tartarizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. tartariser.] (Chem.)
Defn: To impregnate with, or subject to the action of, tartar. [R.]Tartarized antimony (Med. Chem.), tartar emetic.
TARTARIZETar"tar*ize, v. t.
Defn: To cause to resemble the Tartars and their civilization, as by conquest.
TARTAROUSTar"tar*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. tartareux.]
Defn: Containing tartar; consisting of tartar, or partaking of its qualities; tartareous.
TARTAROUSTar"tar*ous, a.
Defn: Resembling, or characteristic of, a Tartar; ill-natured;irritable.The Tartarous moods of common men. B. Jonson.
TARTARUMTar"ta*rum, n. (Chem.)
Defn: See 1st Tartar.
TARTARUSTar"ta*rus, n. Etym: [L., from Gr. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: The infernal regions, described in the Iliad as situated as far below Hades as heaven is above the earth, and by later writers as the place of punishment for the spirits of the wicked. By the later poets, also, the name is often used synonymously with Hades, or the Lower World in general.
TARTARYTar"ta*ry, n.
Defn: Tartarus. [Obs.] Spenser.
TARTINI'S TONES Tar*ti"ni's tones`. Etym: [From Tartini, an Italian violinist, who discovered them in 1754.]
Defn: See the Note under Tone.
TARTISHTart"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat tart.
TARTLETTart"let, n.
Defn: A small tart. V. Knox.
TARTLYTart"ly, adv.
Defn: In a tart manner; with acidity.
TARTNESSTart"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being tart.
Syn. — Acrimony; sourness; keenness; poignancy; severity; asperity; acerbity; harshness. See Acrimony.
TARTRALICTar*tral"ic, a. Etym: [From Tartar the chemical compound.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, an acid obtained as a white amorphous deliquescent substance, C8H10O11; — called also ditartaric, tartrilic, or tartrylic acid.
TARTRAMATETar*tram"ate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of tartramic acid.
TARTRAMICTar*tram"ic, a. Etym: [Tarto- + amic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an acid which is the primary acid amide derivative of tartaric acid.
TARTRAMIDETar*tram"ide, n. Etym: [Tarto- + amide.] (Chem.)
Defn: An acid amide derivative of tartaric acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
TARTRATETar"trate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. tartrate.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of tartaric acid.
TARTRATEDTar"tra`ted, a. (Med. Chem.)
Defn: Containing, or derived from, tartar; combined with tartaric acid.
TARTRAZINETar"tra*zine, n. Etym: [Tartaric + hydrazine.] (Chem.)
Defn: An artificial dyestuff obtained as an orange-yellow powder, and regarded as a phenyl hydrazine derivative of tartaric and sulphonic acids.
TARTRELICTar*trel"ic, a. Etym: [From Tartar the chemical compound.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an anhydride, C4H4O5, of tartaric acid, obtained as a white crystalline deliquescent substance.
TARTRO-Tar"tro-.
Defn: A combining form (also used adjectively) used in chemistry to denote the presence of tartar or of some of its compounds or derivatives.
TARTRONATETar"tro*nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of tartronic acid.
TARTRONICTar*tron"ic, a. Etym: [Tartro- + malonic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid (called also hydroxy malonic acid) obtained, by reducing mesoxalic acid, as a white crystalline substance.
TARTRONYLTar"tro*nyl, n. Etym: [Tartronic + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical radical constituting the characteristic residue of tartronic acid and certain of its derivatives.
TARTROVINICTar`tro*vin"ic, a. Etym: [Tartro- + vinic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, a certain acid composed of tartaric acid in combination with ethyl, and now called ethyltartaric acid.
TARTUFFE; TARTUFETar*tuffe", Tar*tufe", n. Etym: [F. tartufe.]
Defn: A hypocritical devotee. See the Dictionary of Noted Names inFiction.
TARTUFFISH; TARTUFISHTar*tuff"ish, Tar*tuf"ish, a.
Defn: Like a tartuffe; precise; hypocritical. Sterne.
TARWEEDTar"weed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several resinous-glandular composite plants ofCalifornia, esp. to the species of Grindelia, Hemizonia, and Madia.
TASTas, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A heap. [Obs.] "The tas of bodies slain." Chaucer.
TASTas, v. t.
Defn: To tassel. [Obs.] "A purse of leather tassed with silk."Chaucer.
TASCOTas"co, n. Etym: [Cf. Sp. tasconio.]
Defn: A kind of clay for making melting pots. Percy Smith.
TASIMERTa*sim"er, n. Etym: [Gr. -meter.] (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for detecting or measuring minute extension or movements of solid bodies. It consists essentially of a small rod, disk, or button of carbon, forming part of an electrical circuit, the resistance of which, being varied by the changes of pressure produced by the movements of the object to be measured, causes variations in the strength of the current, which variations are indicated by a sensitive galvanometer. It is also used for measuring minute changes of temperature. T. A. Edison.
TASK Task, n. Etym: [OE. taske, OF. tasque, F. tâche, for tasche, LL. tasca, taxa, fr. L. taxare to rate, appraise, estimate. See Tax, n. & v.]
1. Labor or study imposed by another, often in a definite quantity oramount.Ma task of servile toil. Milton.Each morning sees some task begin, Each evening sees it close.Longfellow.
2. Business; employment; undertaking; labor. His mental powers were equal to greater tasks. Atterbury. To take to task. See under Take.
Syn. — Work; labor; employment; business; toil; drudgery; study; lesson; stint.
TASKTask, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tasked; p. pr. & vb. n. Tasking.]
1. To impose a task upon; to assign a definite amount of business, labor, or duty to. There task thy maids, and exercise the loom. Dryden.
2. To oppress with severe or excessive burdens; to tax.
3. To charge; to tax; as with a fault. Too impudent to task me with those errors. Beau. & Fl.
TASKERTask"er, n.
1. One who imposes a task.
2. One who performs a task, as a day-laborer. [R.]
3. A laborer who receives his wages in kind. [Scot.]
TASKMASTERTask"mas`ter, n.
Defn: One who imposes a task, or burdens another with labor; onewhose duty is to assign tasks; an overseer. Ex. i. 11.All is, if I have grace to use it so, As ever in my greatTaskmaster's eye. Milton.
TASK WAGETask wage. (Polit. Econ.)
Defn: A wage paid by the day, or some fixed period, on condition that a minimum task be performed. When the workman is paid in proportion for excess over the minimum, the wage is one for piece-work.
TASKWORKTask"work`, n.
Defn: Work done as a task; also, work done by the job; piecework.
TASLETTas"let, n. Etym: [See Tasse a piece of armor.]
Defn: A piece of armor formerly worn to guard the things; a tasse.
TASMANIANTas*ma"ni*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Tasmania, or Van Diemen's Land. — n. A native or inhabitant of Tasmania; specifically (Ethnol.), in the plural, the race of men that formerly inhabited Tasmania, but is now extinct. Tasmanain cider tree. (Bot.) See the Note under Eucalyptus. — Tasmanain devil. (Zoöl.) See under Devil. — Tasmanain wolf (Zoöl.), a savage carnivorous marsupial; — called also zebra wolf. See Zebra wolf, under Wolf.
TASSETasse, n. Etym: [OF. tassette.]
Defn: A piece of armor for the thighs, forming an appendage to the ancient corselet.
Note: Usually the tasse was a plate of iron swinging from the cuirass, but the skirts of sliding splints were also called by this name.
TASSELTas"sel, n. (Falconry)
Defn: A male hawk. See Tercel.
TASSELTas"sel, n. Etym: [See Teasel.]
Defn: A kind of bur used in dressing cloth; a teasel.
TASSEL Tas"sel, n. Etym: [OE., a fastening of a mantle, OF. tassel a fastening, clasp, F. tasseau a bracket, Fr. L. taxillus a little die, dim. of talus a die of a longish shape, rounded on two sides and marked only on the other four, a knuckle bone.]
1. A pendent ornament, attached to the corners of cushions, to curtains, and the like, ending in a tuft of loose threads or cords.
2. The flower or head of some plants, esp. when pendent. And the maize field grew and ripened, Till it stood in all the splendor Of its garments green and yellow, Of its tassels and its plumage. Longfellow.
3. A narrow silk ribbon, or the like, sewed to a book to be put between the leaves.
4. (Arch.)
Defn: A piece of board that is laid upon a wall as a sort of plate, to give a level surface to the ends of floor timbers; — rarely used in the United States. Tassel flower (Bot.), a name of several composite plants of the genus Cineraria, especially the C. sconchifolia, and of the blossoms which they bear.
TASSELTas"sel, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tasseled or Tasselled; p. pr. & vb. n.Tasseling or Tasselling.]
Defn: To put forth a tassel or flower; as, maize tassels.
TASSELTas"sel, v. t.
Defn: To adorn with tassels. Chaucer.
TASSETTas"set, n. Etym: [See Tasse.]
Defn: A defense for the front of the thigh, consisting of one or more iron plates hanging from the belt on the lower edge of the corselet.
TASTABLETast"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of worthy of being tasted; savory; relishing.
TASTE Taste, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Tasting.] Etym: [OE. tasten to feel, to taste, OF. taster, F. tater to feel, to try by the touch, to try, to taste, (assumed) LL. taxitare, fr. L. taxare to touch sharply, to estimate. See Tax, v. t.]
1. To try by the touch; to handle; as, to taste a bow. [Obs.] Chapman. Taste it well and stone thou shalt it find. Chaucer.
2. To try by the touch of the tongue; to perceive the relish or flavor of (anything) by taking a small quantity into a mouth. Also used figuratively. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine. John ii. 9. When Commodus had once tasted human blood, he became incapable of pity or remorse. Gibbon.
3. To try by eating a little; to eat a small quantity of. I tasted a little of this honey. 1 Sam. xiv. 29.
4. To become acquainted with by actual trial; to essay; to experience; to undergo. He . . . should taste death for every man. Heb. ii. 9.
5. To partake of; to participate in; — usually with an implied senseof relish or pleasure.Thou . . . wilt taste No pleasure, though in pleasure, solitary.Milton.
TASTETaste, v. i.
1. To try food with the mouth; to eat or drink a little only; to try the flavor of anything; as, to taste of each kind of wine.
2. To have a smack; to excite a particular sensation, by which the specific quality or flavor is distinguished; to have a particular quality or character; as, this water tastes brackish; the milk tastes of garlic. Yea, every idle, nice, and wanton reason Shall to the king taste of this action. Shak.
3. To take sparingly. For age but tastes of pleasures, youth devours. Dryden.
4. To have perception, experience, or enjoyment; to partake; as, to taste of nature's bounty. Waller. The valiant never taste of death but once. Shak.
TASTETaste, n.
1. The act of tasting; gustation.
2. A particular sensation excited by the application of a substance to the tongue; the quality or savor of any substance as perceived by means of the tongue; flavor; as, the taste of an orange or an apple; a bitter taste; an acid taste; a sweet taste.
3. (Physiol.)
Defn: The one of the five senses by which certain properties of bodies (called their taste, savor, flavor) are ascertained by contact with the organs of taste.
Note: Taste depends mainly on the contact of soluble matter with the terminal organs (connected with branches of the glossopharyngeal and other nerves) in the papillæ on the surface of the tongue. The base of the tongue is considered most sensitive to bitter substances, the point to sweet and acid substances.
4. Intellectual relish; liking; fondness; — formerly with of, now with for; as, he had no taste for study. I have no taste Of popular applause. Dryden.
5. The power of perceiving and relishing excellence in human performances; the faculty of discerning beauty, order, congruity, proportion, symmetry, or whatever constitutes excellence, particularly in the fine arts and belles-letters; critical judgment; discernment.
6. Manner, with respect to what is pleasing, refined, or in accordance with good usage; style; as, music composed in good taste; an epitaph in bad taste.
7. Essay; trial; experience; experiment. Shak.
8. A small portion given as a specimen; a little piece tastted of eaten; a bit. Bacon.
9. A kind of narrow and thin silk ribbon.
Syn. — Savor; relish; flavor; sensibility; gout. — Taste, Sensibility, Judgment. Some consider taste as a mere sensibility, and others as a simple exercise of judgment; but a union of both is requisite to the existence of anything which deserves the name. An original sense of the beautiful is just as necessary to æsthetic judgments, as a sense of right and wrong to the formation of any just conclusions or moral subjects. But this "sense of the beautiful" is not an arbitrary principle. It is under the guidance of reason; it grows in delicacy and correctness with the progress of the individual and of society at large; it has its laws, which are seated in the nature of man; and it is in the development of these laws that we find the true "standard of taste." What, then, is taste, but those internal powers, Active and strong, and feelingly alive To each fine impulse a discerning sense Of decent and sublime, with quick disgust From things deformed, or disarranged, or gross In species This, nor gems, nor stores of gold, Nor purple state, nor culture, can bestow, But God alone, when first his active hand Imprints the secret bias of the soul. Akenside. Taste of buds, or Taste of goblets (Anat.), the flask-shaped end organs of taste in the epithelium of the tongue. They are made up of modified epithelial cells arranged somewhat like leaves in a bud.
TASTEFULTaste"ful, a.
1. Having a high relish; savory. "Tasteful herbs." Pope.
2. Having or exhibiting good taste; in accordance with good taste;tasty; as, a tasteful drapery.— Taste"ful*ly, adv.— Taste"ful*ness, n.
TASTELESSTaste"less, a.
1. Having no taste; insipid; flat; as, tasteless fruit.
2. Destitute of the sense of taste; or of good taste; as, a tasteless age. Orrery.
3. Not in accordance with good taste; as, a tasteless arrangement ofdrapery.— Taste"less*ly, adv.— Taste"less*ness, n.
TASTERTast"er, n.
1. One who tastes; especially, one who first tastes food or drink to ascertain its quality. Thy tutor be thy taster, ere thou eat. Dryden.
2. That in which, or by which, anything is tasted, as, a dram cup, a cheese taster, or the like.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a peculiar kind of zooids situated on the polyp-stem of certain Siphonophora. They somewhat resemble the feeding zooids, but are destitute of mouths. See Siphonophora.
TASTILYTast"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a tasty manner.
TASTINGTast"ing, n.
Defn: The act of perceiving or tasting by the organs of taste; the faculty or sense by which we perceive or distinguish savors.
TASTOTas"to, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: A key or thing touched to produce a tone. Tasto solo, single touch; — in old music, a direction denoting that the notes in the bass over or under which it is written should be performed alone, or with no other chords than unisons and octaves.
TASTYTast"y, a. [Compar. Tastier; superl. Tastiest.]
1. Having a good taste; — applied to persons; as, a tasty woman. See Taste, n., 5.
2. Being in conformity to the principles of good taste; elegant; as, tasty furniture; a tasty dress.
TATTat, n. Etym: [Hind. tat.]
Defn: Gunny cloth made from the fiber of the Corchorus olitorius, or jute. [India]
TATTat, n. Etym: [Hind. tatt.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A pony. [India]
TATAUPATa*tau"pa, n. Etym: [From the native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South American tinamou (Crypturus tataupa).
TATCHTatch, n. Etym: [F. tache spot. See Techy.]
Defn: A spot or stain; also, a trick. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.
TATHTath, obs.