tarpaulin
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English
Etymology
From tar + pall (“heavy canvas”) + -ing.
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /tɑˈpɔː.lɪn/
- (US) IPA(key): /ˈtɑːɹpəlɪn/, /tɑɹˈpɔ.lɪn/
Audio (AU) (file) - Rhymes: -ɔːlɪn
Noun
tarpaulin (countable and uncountable, plural tarpaulins)
- (countable) A tarp, a heavy, waterproof sheet of material, often cloth, used as a cover or blanket.
- Throw a tarpaulin over that woodpile before it gets wet.
- (countable, slang, archaic) A sailor.
- Synonym: tar
- (uncountable, obsolete) Any heavy, waterproof material used as a cover.
- (uncountable, nautical, obsolete) Canvas waterproofed with tar, used as a cover.
- A hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others.
Translations
heavy, waterproof sheet of material
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sailor — see sailor
any heavy, waterproof material used as a cover
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canvas waterproofed with tar, used as a cover
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
Verb
tarpaulin (third-person singular simple present tarpaulins, present participle tarpaulining, simple past and past participle tarpaulined)
- To cover with a tarpaulin.
- 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed:
- "Cover it up! Don't touch it!" said the Professor. So we tarpaulined it according to his instructions, and there it lies.
Usage notes
- In the US, tarp has been more common than tarpaulin in print since about 1990. In speech since at least 1970.
Derived terms
Translations
to cover with a tarpaulin — see tarp
