Adjacent Words

Tar definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

T`AR, n. [Eng. tare, in commerce.]
1. A thick resinous substance of a dark brown or black color, obtained from pine and fir trees, by burning the wood with a close smothering heat.
Tar inspissated is called pitch, and is much used in ships and cordage.
2. A sailor; so called form his tarred clothes.
T`AR, v.t. To smear with tar; as, to tar ropes.
1. To tease; to provoke. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: any of various dark heavy viscid substances obtained as a residue [syn: pitch, tar]
2: a man who serves as a sailor [syn: mariner, seaman, tar, Jack-tar, Jack, old salt, seafarer, gob, sea dog] v
1: coat with tar; "tar the roof"; "tar the roads"

Merriam Webster's

geographical name river 215 miles (346 kilometers) NE North Carolina — see Pamlico

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English terr, tarr, from Old English teoru; akin to Old English tr?ow tree — more at tree Date: before 12th century 1. a. a dark brown or black bituminous usually odorous viscous liquid obtained by destructive distillation of organic material (as wood, coal, or peat) b. a substance in some respects resembling tar; especially a condensable residue present in smoke from burning tobacco that contains combustion by-products (as resins, acids, phenols, and essential oils) 2. [short for tarpaulin] sailor II. transitive verb (tarred; tarring) Date: 13th century 1. to cover with tar 2. to defile as if with tar <least tarred by the scandal — Newsweek> III. transitive verb or tarre (tarred; tarring; tars or tarres) Etymology: Middle English terren, tarren, from Old English tyrwan Date: before 12th century to urge to action — usually used with on

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. n. & v. --n. 1 a dark thick inflammable liquid distilled from wood or coal etc. and used as a preservative of wood and iron, in making roads, as an antiseptic, etc. 2 a similar substance formed in the combustion of tobacco etc. --v.tr. (tarred, tarring) cover with tar. Phrases and idioms: tar and feather smear with tar and then cover with feathers as a punishment. tar-brush a brush for applying tar. tarred with the same brush having the same faults. Etymology: OE te(o)ru f. Gmc, rel. to TREE 2. n. colloq. a sailor. Etymology: abbr. of TARPAULIN

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tar Tar, n. [OE. terre, tarre, AS. teru, teoru; akin to D. teer, G. teer, theer, Icel. tjara, Sw. tj["a]ra, Dan. ti[ae]re, and to E. tree. [root]63. See Tree.] 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.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tar Tar, n. [Abbrev. from tarpaulin.] A sailor; a seaman. [Colloq.] --Swift.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tar Tar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tarred; p. pr. & vb. n. Tarring.] 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.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(tars, tarring, tarred) 1. Tar is a thick black sticky substance that is used especially for making roads. 2. Tar is one of the poisonous substances contained in tobacco. N-UNCOUNT 3. If some people in a group behave badly and if people then wrongly think that all of the group is equally bad, you can say that the whole group is tarred with the same brush. I am a football supporter and I have to often explain that I'm not one of the hooligan sort because we'll all get tarred with the same brush when there's trouble. PHRASE: V inflects 4. see also tarred

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. (Colloq.) Sailor, seaman, mariner, seafarer, seafaring man, tarpaulin.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Don't lose a sheep for a halfpennyworth of tar: tar is used to mark sheep. A jack tar; a sailor.

Moby Thesaurus

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