tan

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word tan. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word tan, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say tan in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word tan you have here. The definition of the word tan will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition oftan, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Translingual

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Symbol

tan

  1. (trigonometry) The trigonometric function tangent.

Usage notes

The symbol tan is prescribed by the ISO 80000-2:2019 standard. The symbol tg, traditionally preferred in Eastern Europe and Russia, is explicitly deprecated by ISO 80000-2:2019.

Alternative forms

English

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French tan (tanbark), from Gaulish *tannos (green oak) – compare Breton tann (red oak), Old Cornish tannen –, from Proto-Celtic *tannos (green oak), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰonu (fir). Per this hypothesis, related to Hittite (tanau, fir), Latin femur, genitive feminis (thigh), German Tann (woods), Tanne (fir), Albanian thanë (cranberry bush), Ancient Greek θάμνος (thámnos, thicket), Avestan 𐬚𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 (θanuuarə), Sanskrit धनु (dhánu).

Noun

tan (plural tans)

  1. A light, brown-like colour.
    tan:  
  2. A darkening of the skin resulting from exposure to sunlight or similar light sources.
    She still has a tan from her vacation in Mexico.
    I'm hoping to get a tan this weekend at the beach.
  3. The bark of an oak or other tree from which tannic acid is obtained.
    • 1848, John Hannett, Bibliopegia, or, The Art of Bookbinding in all its branches, page 65:
      In two pints of water boil one ounce of tan, and a like portion of nutgall till reduced to a pint.
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Adjective

tan (comparative tanner, superlative tannest)

  1. Yellowish-brown.
    Mine is the white car parked next to the tan pickup truck.
  2. Having dark skin as a result of exposure to the sun or an artificial process intended to mimic this effect.
    Synonyms: suntanned, tanned
    You’re looking very tan this week.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

As a verb, from Middle English tannen, from late Old English tannian (to tan a hide), from Latin tannare.

Verb

tan (third-person singular simple present tans, present participle tanning, simple past and past participle tanned)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To change to a tan colour due to exposure to the sun.
    No matter how long I stay out in the sun, I never tan, though I do burn.
  2. (transitive, stative) To change an animal hide into leather by soaking it in tannic acid.[1] To work as a tanner.
  3. (transitive, informal) To spank or beat.
    • 1876, Mark Twain, chapter 3, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer:
      "Well, go 'long and play; but mind you get back some time in a week, or I'll tan you."
Derived terms
Translations
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
See also

Etymology 3

From a Brythonic language; influenced in form by yan (one) in the same series.

Numeral

tan

  1. (dialect, rare) The second cardinal number two, formerly used in Celtic areas, especially Cumbria and parts of Yorkshire, for counting sheep, and stitches in knitting.[2]

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Armenian թան (tʻan).

Noun

tan

  1. An Armenian drink made of yoghurt and water similar to airan and doogh
Translations

Etymology 5

Borrowed from Cantonese (daam3).

Noun

tan (usually uncountable, plural tans)

  1. Synonym of picul, particularly in Cantonese contexts.

Etymology 6

From Middle English *tan, from Old English tān (twig, shoot, switch), from Proto-West Germanic *tain, from Proto-Germanic *tainaz (rod, twig, straw, lot).

Noun

tan (plural tans)

  1. (dialectal) A twig or small switch.

Etymology 7

It may either be a figurative use of the usual verb tan (to cause to acquire a brownish colour) or a Jamaican Creole pronunciation of turn, compare bun (to kill particularly by gunshot).

Verb

tan (third-person singular simple present tans, present participle tanning, simple past and past participle tanned)

  1. (transitive, MLE, slang) To kill by gun, to shoot.
    • 2019 September 29, Moscow17 (lyrics and music), “All For The Cause”‎:
      Step on the wing, see an opp and I'll whack it
      Do it like Super Savage
      Who's the yute I Jet-Li-rise that dots and tan him (whoosh)
      Rise that dots and tan him

References

See also

Anagrams

Ainu

Alternative forms

Etymology

From ta (this) +‎ an (is), literally this being.

Pronunciation

Determiner

tan (Kana spelling タン, plural tanokay)

  1. (demonstrative) this

Derived terms

See also

Breton

Etymology

From Middle Breton tan, from Old Breton tan, from Proto-Brythonic *tan, from Proto-Celtic *teɸnets (fire) (compare Old Irish teine, Welsh tân).

Pronunciation

Noun

tan m (plural tanioù)

  1. fire

Inflection

The template Template:br-noun-mutation does not use the parameter(s):
g=m
Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.

Catalan

Pronunciation

Adverb

tan

  1. so, such
  2. (in comparisons, tan ... com) as ... as

Derived terms

  • tant (so much, so many)

Further reading

Chuukese

Noun

tan

  1. dream

Cornish

Etymology

From Middle Cornish tan, from Old Cornish tan, from Proto-Brythonic *tan, from Proto-Celtic *teɸnets (fire) (compare Old Irish teine, Welsh tân).

Noun

tan m (plural tanow)

  1. fire

Mutation

Mutation of tan
unmutated soft aspirate hard mixed mixed after 'th
tan dan than unchanged unchanged unchanged

French

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Latin tannum (oak bark), from Gaulish *tannos (oak), from Proto-Celtic *tannos (green oak).

Noun

tan m (plural tans)

  1. pulped oak bark used in the tanning process (i.e. of tanning leather)
Derived terms

Further reading

Etymology 2

Blend of ton +‎ ta.

Determiner

tan n (singular, plural tes)

  1. (gender-neutral, neologism) your
See also

Fula

Alternative forms

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Adjective

tan

  1. only

Usage notes

Adverb

tan

  1. only

Usage notes

References

  • M.O. Diodi, Dictionnaire bilingue fulfuldé-français, français-fulfuldé, Niger(?), 1994.
  • M. Niang, Pulaar-English English-Pulaar Standard Dictionary, New York: Hippocrene Books, 1997.
  • D. Osborn, D. Dwyer, and J. Donohoe, A Fulfulde (Maasina)-English-French Lexicon: A Root-Based Compilation Drawn from Extant Sources Followed by English-Fulfulde and French-Fulfulde Listings, East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1993.
  • F.W. de St. Croix and the Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages, Bayero University, Fulfulde-English Dictionary, Kano: The Centre, 1998.
  • F.W. Taylor, Fulani-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1932. (New York:Hippocrene Books, 2005)

Galician

Etymology

Inherited from Latin tam.

Pronunciation

Adverb

tan

  1. so, as (in comparisons)

Usage notes

  • Usually paired with como and coma, as tan como/coma

Haitian Creole

Etymology

From French temps (time, weather).

Pronunciation

Noun

tan

  1. time
  2. weather

Hungarian

Etymology

Back-formation from tanít, tanul, etc. Created during the Hungarian language reform, which took place in the 18th–19th centuries.

Pronunciation

Noun

tan (plural tanok)

  1. doctrine, lore
  2. science of, theory, branch of instruction
  3. (as a suffix in compounds) -logy, -ology, -graphy (a branch of learning; a study of a particular subject)
    Synonym: tudomány
  4. (as a prefix in compounds) educational, academic
    Synonym: tanulmányi

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative tan tanok
accusative tant tanokat
dative tannak tanoknak
instrumental tannal tanokkal
causal-final tanért tanokért
translative tanná tanokká
terminative tanig tanokig
essive-formal tanként tanokként
essive-modal
inessive tanban tanokban
superessive tanon tanokon
adessive tannál tanoknál
illative tanba tanokba
sublative tanra tanokra
allative tanhoz tanokhoz
elative tanból tanokból
delative tanról tanokról
ablative tantól tanoktól
non-attributive
possessive - singular
tané tanoké
non-attributive
possessive - plural
tanéi tanokéi
Possessive forms of tan
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. tanom tanaim
2nd person sing. tanod tanaid
3rd person sing. tana tanai
1st person plural tanunk tanaink
2nd person plural tanotok tanaitok
3rd person plural tanuk tanaik

Derived terms

Compound words with this term at the beginning
Compound words with this term at the end

Further reading

  • tan in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Iban

Etymology

From Proto-Malayic *tahən, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *taqan (to hold back).

Pronunciation

Adjective

tan

  1. resistant (not easily damaged)
  2. perseverant
  3. undamaged
  4. invincible
  5. detained

Verb

tan

  1. to arrest; to detain
  2. to hold on someone
  3. to stop something/someone

Derived terms

Japanese

Romanization

tan

  1. Rōmaji transcription of たん

Entry: tan

Javanese

Romanization

tan

  1. Romanization of ꦠꦤ꧀

Jingpho

Etymology

Borrowed from Burmese တန်း (tan:).

Noun

tan

  1. class

References

  • Kurabe, Keita (2016 December 31) “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research, volume 35, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 91–128

Mandarin

Romanization

tan

  1. Nonstandard spelling of tān.
  2. Nonstandard spelling of tán.
  3. Nonstandard spelling of tǎn.
  4. Nonstandard spelling of tàn.

Usage notes

  • Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish tan, from Proto-Celtic *tanā ((point in) time), from Proto-Indo-European *tn̥néh₂, from *ten- (to stretch).

Noun

tan f

  1. (point in) time

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Irish: tan

Further reading

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-West Germanic *tain.

Pronunciation

Noun

tān m

  1. twig, branch

Declension

Derived terms

Old French

Etymology

From Gaulish *tannos (attested in the place names Tannetum and Tannogilum), from Proto-Celtic *tannos (green oak).

Pronunciation

Noun

tan oblique singularm (oblique plural tans, nominative singular tans, nominative plural tan)

  1. pulped oak bark used in the tanning process (i.e. of tanning leather)

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *tanā ((point in) time), from Proto-Indo-European *tn̥néh₂, from *ten- (to stretch).

Pronunciation

Noun

tan f

  1. (point in) time

Declension

Feminine ā-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative tanL tainL tanaH
Vocative tanL tainL tanaH
Accusative tainN tainL tanaH
Genitive taineH tanL tanN
Dative tainL tanaib tanaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

Descendants

Further reading

Old Javanese

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tan/
  • Hyphenation: tan

Adverb

tan

  1. not

Adjective

tan

  1. not

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Descendants

Further reading

  • "tan" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

Old Occitan

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin tantus.

Adverb

tan

  1. such; so much; to such an extent

Adjective

tan

  1. such; so much

References

Old Swedish

Etymology

From Old Norse tǫnn, from Proto-Germanic *tanþs.

Pronunciation

Noun

tan f

  1. tooth

Declension

Descendants

Pipil

Etymology

Compare Classical Nahuatl tlantli (tooth, teeth).

Noun

-tan (plural -tajtan)

  1. tooth
  2. (in the plural) dentition

Further reading

  • Campbell, L. (1985). The Pipil Language of El Salvador. Mouton De Gruyter.
  • Lara-Martínez, R., McCallister, R. Glosario cultural náwat pipil y nicarao.

Polish

Etymology

Back-formation from taniec.

Pronunciation

Noun

tan m inan

  1. (archaic, humorous, usually in the plural) dance
    Synonym: taniec

Declension

Derived terms

verbs
adjectives
nouns
verbs

Further reading

  • tan in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • tan in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Somali

Determiner

tan

  1. this (feminine)

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Latin tam.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈtan/
  • Rhymes: -an
  • Syllabification: tan

Adverb

tan

  1. so, as
    Eres tan rico como te sientes.
    You are as rich as you feel.
  2. very
    Lo único en lo que puedo pensar es en tu cara tan triste.
    All I can think about is your very sad face.

Usage notes

Usually paired with como: tan como (as as) or with que: tan que (so that).

Determiner

tan

  1. such, such a
    ¡Ese tipo es tan patán!
    That guy is such a jerk!

Derived terms

Further reading

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From English stand.

Verb

tan

  1. to stay, to reside
  2. to stay, to remain in a state

Swedish

Verb

tan

  1. (archaic or dialectal) second-person plural imperative of ta

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish طاڭ (taŋ), from Common Turkic *taŋ.

Noun

tan (definite accusative tanı, plural tanlar)

  1. dawn, twilight
    O gece tan yeri ağırana kadar selâmettir.On that night, there is peace till twilight.

Declension

Inflection
Nominative tan
Definite accusative tanı
Singular Plural
Nominative tan tanlar
Definite accusative tanı tanları
Dative tana tanlara
Locative tanda tanlarda
Ablative tandan tanlardan
Genitive tanın tanların
Possessive forms
Nominative
Singular Plural
1st singular tanım tanlarım
2nd singular tanın tanların
3rd singular tanı tanları
1st plural tanımız tanlarımız
2nd plural tanınız tanlarınız
3rd plural tanları tanları
Definite accusative
Singular Plural
1st singular tanımı tanlarımı
2nd singular tanını tanlarını
3rd singular tanını tanlarını
1st plural tanımızı tanlarımızı
2nd plural tanınızı tanlarınızı
3rd plural tanlarını tanlarını
Dative
Singular Plural
1st singular tanıma tanlarıma
2nd singular tanına tanlarına
3rd singular tanına tanlarına
1st plural tanımıza tanlarımıza
2nd plural tanınıza tanlarınıza
3rd plural tanlarına tanlarına
Locative
Singular Plural
1st singular tanımda tanlarımda
2nd singular tanında tanlarında
3rd singular tanında tanlarında
1st plural tanımızda tanlarımızda
2nd plural tanınızda tanlarınızda
3rd plural tanlarında tanlarında
Ablative
Singular Plural
1st singular tanımdan tanlarımdan
2nd singular tanından tanlarından
3rd singular tanından tanlarından
1st plural tanımızdan tanlarımızdan
2nd plural tanınızdan tanlarınızdan
3rd plural tanlarından tanlarından
Genitive
Singular Plural
1st singular tanımın tanlarımın
2nd singular tanının tanlarının
3rd singular tanının tanlarının
1st plural tanımızın tanlarımızın
2nd plural tanınızın tanlarınızın
3rd plural tanlarının tanlarının

Synonyms

Vietnamese

Etymology

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese (SV: tán, tản).

Pronunciation

Verb

tan (, , , )

  1. to melt
  2. (in a liquid) to dissolve, dissipate
  3. (in certain expressions) to finish; to dismiss
    Chợ tan họp rồi.
    The market is closed.

Derived terms

References

Welsh

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle Welsh tan, from Proto-Brythonic *tan, from Proto-Celtic *tanai, dative of *tanā, from Proto-Indo-European *tn̥néh₂.

Pronunciation

Preposition

tan (triggers soft mutation on a following noun)

  1. until
  2. (literary) under
  3. while

Usage notes

In literary Welsh, tan can mean both "under" and "until". In Welsh usage today, however, dan (originally the soft mutation of tan) has become a preposition in its own right with the meaning "under" whereas tan means "until", retaining the meaning "under" in certain expressions, compound words and place names. Modern dan or tan are not usually mutated. o dan is an alternative to dan.

Inflection

See also

Mutation

Mutated forms of tan
radical soft nasal aspirate
tan dan nhan than

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

  • R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “tan”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

Wolof

Noun

tan (definite form tan mi)

  1. vulture

Yámana

Noun

tan

  1. earth, soil, dust, ground

Yogad

Adverb

tan

  1. more; -er

Zay

Etymology

Cognate to Silt'e (tan).

Noun

tan

  1. smoke (from a fire)

References

  • Initial SLLE Survey of the Zway Area by Klaus Wedekind and Charlotte Wedekind