Adjacent Words

Tack definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TACK, v.t. [Gr. to set,place, ordain.]
1. To fasten; to attach. In the solemn or grave style, this word now appears ludicrous; as, to get a commendam tacked to their sees.
--And tack the center to the sphere.
2. To unite by stitching together; as, to tack together the sheets of a book; to tack one piece of cloth to another. [In the familiar style, this word is in good use.]
3. To fasten slightly by nails; as, to tack on a board or shingle.
TACK
TACHE, n. A spot. [Not used.]
TACK, n. A small nail.
1. A rope used to confine the foremost lower corners of the courses and stay-sails, when the wind crosses the ship's course obliquely; also, a rope employed to pull the lower corner of a studding sail to the boom. Hence,
2. The part of a sail to which the tack is usually fastened; the foremost lower corner of the courses. Hence,
3. The course of a ship in regard to the position of her sails; as the starboard tack, or larboard tack; the former when she is close-hauled with the wind on her starboard, the latter when close hauled with the wind on her larboard.
To hold tack, to last or hold out.
Tack of a flag, a line spliced into the eye at the bottom of the tabling, for securing the flag to the halliards.
TACK, v.i. To change the course of a ship by shifting the tacks and position of the sails from one side to the other.
TACK, n. In rural economy, a shelf on which cheese is dried. [Local.]
Tack of land, the term of a lease. [Local.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the heading or position of a vessel relative to the trim of its sails
2: a short nail with a sharp point and a large head
3: gear for a horse [syn: stable gear, saddlery, tack]
4: (nautical) a line (rope or chain) that regulates the angle at which a sail is set in relation to the wind [syn: sheet, tack, mainsheet, weather sheet, shroud]
5: (nautical) the act of changing tack [syn: tack, tacking]
6: sailing a zigzag course v
1: fasten with tacks; "tack the notice on the board"
2: turn into the wind; "The sailors decided to tack the boat"; "The boat tacked" [syn: tack, wear round]
3: create by putting components or members together; "She pieced a quilt"; "He tacked together some verses"; "They set up a committee" [syn: assemble, piece, put together, set up, tack, tack together] [ant: break apart, break up, disassemble, dismantle, take apart]
4: sew together loosely, with large stitches; "baste a hem" [syn: baste, tack]
5: fix to; attach; "append a charm to the necklace" [syn: append, tag on, tack on, tack, hang on]
6: reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action) [syn: interchange, tack, switch, alternate, flip, flip- flop]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English takken, from tak Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. attach; especially to fasten or affix with tacks 2. to join in a slight or hasty manner 3. a. to add as a supplement b. to add (a rider) to a parliamentary bill 4. to change the direction of (a sailing ship) when sailing close-hauled by turning the bow to the wind and shifting the sails so as to fall off on the other side at about the same angle as before intransitive verb 1. a. to tack a sailing ship b. of a ship to change to an opposite tack by turning the bow to the wind c. to follow a course against the wind by a series of tacks 2. a. to follow a zigzag course b. to modify one's policy or attitude abruptly • tacker noun II. noun Etymology: Middle English tak fastener, rope tying down the windward corner of a sail, from Middle French (Norman dialect) taque; akin to Middle Dutch tac sharp point Date: 1574 1. a small short sharp-pointed nail usually having a broad flat head 2. a. the direction of a ship with respect to the trim of her sails <starboard tack> b. the run of a sailing ship on one tack c. a change when close-hauled from the starboard to the port tack or vice versa d. a zigzag movement on land e. a course or method of action; especially one sharply divergent from that previously followed 3. any of various usually temporary stitches 4. the lower forward corner of a fore-and-aft sail 5. a sticky or adhesive quality or condition III. noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1841 hardtack 1 IV. noun Etymology: perhaps short for tackle Date: 1924 stable gear; especially articles of harness (as saddle and bridle) for use on a saddle horse

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a small sharp broad-headed nail. 2 US a drawing-pin. 3 a long stitch used in fastening fabrics etc. lightly or temporarily together. 4 a the direction in which a ship moves as determined by the position of its sails and regarded in terms of the direction of the wind (starboard tack). b a temporary change of direction in sailing to take advantage of a side wind etc. 5 a course of action or policy (try another tack). 6 Naut. a a rope for securing the corner of some sails. b the corner to which this is fastened. 7 a sticky condition of varnish etc. 8 Brit. an extraneous clause appended to a bill in Parliament. --v. 1 tr. (often foll. by down etc.) fasten with tacks. 2 tr. stitch (pieces of cloth etc.) lightly together. 3 tr. (foll. by to, on) annex (a thing). 4 intr. (often foll. by about) a change a ship's course by turning its head to the wind (cf. WEAR(2)). b make a series of tacks. 5 intr. change one's conduct or policy etc. 6 tr. Brit. append (a clause) to a bill. Derivatives: tacker n. Etymology: ME tak etc., of uncert. orig.: cf. Bibl. tache clasp, link f. OF tache 2. n. the saddle, bridle, etc., of a horse. Etymology: shortened f. TACKLE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tack Tack, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Tacking.] [Cf. OD. tacken to touch, take, seize, fix, akin to E. take. See Tack a small nail.] 1. To fasten or attach. ``In hopes of getting some commendam tacked to their sees.'' --Swift. And tacks the center to the sphere. --Herbert. 2. Especially, to attach or secure in a slight or hasty manner, as by stitching or nailing; as, to tack together the sheets of a book; to tack one piece of cloth to another; to tack on a board or shingle; to tack one piece of metal to another by drops of solder. 3. In parliamentary usage, to add (a supplement) to a bill; to append; -- often with on or to. --Macaulay. 4. (Naut.) To change the direction of (a vessel) when sailing closehauled, by putting the helm alee and shifting the tacks and sails so that she will proceed to windward nearly at right angles to her former course. Note: In tacking, a vessel is brought to point at first directly to windward, and then so that the wind will blow against the other side.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tack Tack, n. [From an old or dialectal form of F. tache. See Techy.] 1. A stain; a tache. [Obs.] 2. [Cf. L. tactus.] A peculiar flavor or taint; as, a musty tack. [Obs. or Colloq.] --Drayton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tack Tack, n. [OE. tak, takke, a fastening; akin to D. tak a branch, twig, G. zacke a twig, prong, spike, Dan. takke a tack, spike; cf. also Sw. tagg prickle, point, Icel. t[=a]g a willow twig, Ir. taca a peg, nail, fastening, Gael. tacaid, Armor. & Corn. tach; perhaps akin to E. take. Cf. Attach, Attack, Detach, Tag an end, Zigzag.] 1. A small, short, sharp-pointed nail, usually having a broad, flat head. 2. That which is attached; a supplement; an appendix. See Tack, v. t., 3. --Macaulay. Some tacks had been made to money bills in King Charles's time. --Bp. Burnet.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tack Tack, v. i. (Naut.) To change the direction of a vessel by shifting the position of the helm and sails; also (as said of a vessel), to have her direction changed through the shifting of the helm and sails. See Tack, v. t., 4. Monk, . . . when he wanted his ship to tack to larboard, moved the mirth of his crew by calling out, ``Wheel to the left.'' --Macaulay.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(tacks, tacking, tacked) 1. A tack is a short nail with a broad, flat head, especially one that is used for fastening carpets to the floor. to get down to brass tacks: see brass N-COUNT see also thumbtack 2. If you tack something to a surface, you pin it there with tacks or drawing pins. He had tacked this note to her door... She had recently taken a canvas from the theater and tacked it up on the wall. VERB: V n to n, V n with adv 3. If you change tack or try a different tack, you try a different method for dealing with a situation. In desperation I changed tack... This report takes a different tack from the 20 that have come before. = approach N-SING: also no det 4. If a sailing boat is tacking or if the people in it tack it, it is sailing towards a particular point in a series of sideways movements rather than in a straight line. We were tacking fairly close inshore... The helmsman could tack the boat singlehanded. VERB: V, V n, also V n prep/adv 5. If you tack pieces of material together, you sew them together with big, loose stitches in order to hold them firmly or check that they fit, before sewing them properly. Tack them together with a 1.5 cm seam... Tack the cord around the cushion. VERB: V pl-n with together, V n prep/adv

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Fasten (slightly), attach, append, affix, tag. 2. Nail (with tacks). 3. (Naut.) Put about, change the course of. II. v. n. (Naut.) Go about, tack ship. III. n. Small nail.

Moby Thesaurus

MO, aberrancy, aberration, about ship, affix, algorithm, alter, alteration, ameliorate, annex, append, approach, articulate, attach, attack, azimuth, back and fill, back band, backstrap, baste, batten, batten down, be changed, be converted into, be renewed, bear away, bear off, bear to starboard, bearing, bearing rein, beat, beat about, bellyband, bend, bias, bind, bit, blinders, blinds, bolt, bottom out, box off, branch off, branching off, braze, break, breeching, bridle, bring about, bring round, buckle, butt, button, cant, cant round, caparison, cast, cast about, cavesson, cement, change, change course, change the bearing, change the heading, checker, checkrein, cheekpiece, chinband, chop, chop and change, cinch, circuitousness, clasp, cleat, clip, collar, combine, come about, come around, come round, compass bearing, compass direction, cordage, cording, corner, couple, course, crook, crownband, crupper, curb, curve, declination, deflection, degenerate, depart from, departure, deteriorate, detour, deviance, deviancy, deviate, deviation, deviousness, digress, digression, direction, discursion, divagate, divagation, divaricate, divarication, diverge, divergence, diversify, diversion, dogleg, double, double a point, dovetail, drift, drifting, equipage, equipment, errantry, excursion, excursus, exorbitation, fashion, fasten, fastening, fetch about, fittings, fix, flop, form, gag swivel, gear, girth, glue, go about, guise, gybe, hackamore, hairpin, halter, hames, hametugs, harness, hasp, haul around, headgear, heading, headstall, heave round, heel, hinge, hip straps, hitch, hook, improve, indirection, jam, jaquima, jerk line, jibe, jibe all standing, join, joint, kit, latch, lee side, line, line of action, lines, lock, magnetic bearing, manner, manner of working, martingale, means, meliorate, method, methodology, miss stays, miter, mitigate, mode, mode of operation, mode of procedure, modulate, modus operandi, mortise, mutate, nail, noseband, obliquity, order, outfit, paste, path, peg, pererration, pin, ply, pole strap, practice, procedure, proceeding, process, put about, put back, rabbet, rambling, reins, relative bearing, revive, ribbons, rig, rigging, rivet, ropework, roping, round a point, routine, saddle, saddlery, scarf, screw, secure, sew, shaft tug, sheer, shift, shifting, shifting course, shifting path, side check, skew, skewer, slant, slew, snaffle, snap, solder, staple, stick, stitch, straying, style, surcingle, sweep, swerve, swerving, swing round, swing the stern, swinging, system, tack on, tackle, tag on, take a turn, tangent, technique, the drill, the how, the way of, throw about, thumbtack, tie, toggle, tone, trappings, trend, true bearing, tug, turn, turn aside, turn back, turn into, turn the corner, turning, twist, undergo a change, unite, variation, vary, vector, veer, veer off, wandering, warp, way, wear, wear ship, weather side, wedge, weld, wind, winker braces, wise, worsen, yaw, yoke, zigzag, zipper