Tan in Scrabble Dictionary

Valid words made from Tan

You can make 7 words from 'tan' in our Scrabble US and Canada dictionary.

• 3 letters words from 'tan'
• 2 letters words from 'tan'

3 letters words from 'tan'

ANT 3	NAT 3
TAN 3

2 letters words from 'tan'

AN 2	AT 2
NA 2	TA 2

Definitions and meaning of tan

tan

Translingual

Symbol

tan

1. (trigonometry) The symbol of 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

• tg

---

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tæn/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French tan (“tanbark”), from Gaulish tanno- (“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 [script needed] (tanau, “fir”), Latin femur, genitive feminis (“thigh”), German Tann (“woods”), Tanne (“fir”), Albanian thanë (“cranberry bush”), Ancient Greek θάμνος (thámnos, “thicket”), Avestan 𐬚𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆‎ (θanuuar^ə), Sanskrit धनु (dhánu).

Noun

tan (plural tans)

1. A yellowish-brown colour.

2. A darkening of the skin resulting from exposure to sunlight or similar light sources.

3. The bark of an oak or other tree from which tannic acid is obtained.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

tan (comparative tanner, superlative tannest)

1. Of a 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.

   You’re looking very tan this week.

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.

2. (transitive) To change an animal hide into leather by soaking it in tannic acid. To work as a tanner.
3. (transitive, informal) To spank or beat.
   • 1876, Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, ch. 3:

     "Well, go 'long and play; but mind you get back some time in a week, or I'll tan you."

Translations

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

• Appendix:Colors

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.

Etymology 4

Borrowed from Armenian թան (tʿan).

Noun

tan

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

Translations

Etymology 5

From the Cantonese pronunciation of 擔

Noun

tan (usually uncountable, plural tans)

1. Synonym of picul, particularly in Cantonese contexts.

Etymology 6

From Old English tān (“twig, switch”), from Proto-Germanic *tainaz (“rod, twig, straw, lot”).

Noun

tan (plural tans)

2. (dialectal) A twig or small switch.

Related terms

• mistletoe

References

Anagrams

• -ant, ANT, Ant, Ant., NAT, NTA, Nat, Nat., TNA, a'n't, an't, ant, ant-, ant., nat

---

Ainu

Alternative forms

• taan

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [tan]

Determiner

tan (Kana spelling タン, plural tanokay)

1. (demonstrative) this

Derived terms

• tanpe (tanpe, “this”)
• tanto (tanto, “today”)

See also

---

Breton

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *teɸnets (“fire”) (compare Old Irish teine, Welsh tân).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtãːn/

Noun

tan m (plural tanioù)

1. fire

Inflection

---

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /ˈtan/
• Rhymes: -an

Adverb

tan

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

Derived terms

Related terms

• tant (“so much, so many”)

Further reading

• “tan” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

---

Chuukese

Noun

tan

1. dream

---

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *teɸnets (“fire”) (compare Old Irish teine, Welsh tân).

Noun

tan m (plural tanow)

1. fire

Mutation

---

French

Etymology

Probably from Gaulish *tanno- (“oak”), from Latin tannum (“oak bark”) (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?). Ultimately from Proto-Celtic *tanno- (“green oak”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɑ̃/
• Homophones: tans, tant, taon, temps

Noun

tan m (plural tans)

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

Further reading

• “tan” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

---

Fula

Alternative forms

• tun (Pular)

Etymology

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

Adjective

tan

1. only

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular). (however tun is more common in Pular of Futa Jalon)

Adverb

tan

1. only

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular). (however tun is more common in Pular of Futa Jalon)

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

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”).

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

• IPA^(key): [ˈtɒn]
• Hyphenation: tan
• Rhymes: -ɒn

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

Derived terms

• tanár

Further reading

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

---

Japanese

Romanization

tan

1. Rōmaji transcription of たん

Entry: tan

---

Jingpho

Etymology

Borrowed from Burmese တန်း (tan:)

Noun

tan

1. class

References

• Kurabe, Keita (2016-12-31) , “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research‎^[1], volume 35, DOI:10.14989/219015, ISSN 1349-7804, 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

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate 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

• in tan (“when”)
• in tan sin (“then”)

Descendants

• Irish: tan

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “tan, tain”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

---

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *tainaz.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɑːn/

Noun

tān m (nominative plural tānas)

1. twig, branch

Declension

Derived terms

• mistiltān

---

Old French

Etymology

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

Noun

tan m (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

• IPA^(key): /tan/

Noun

tan f

1. (point in) time

Declension

Derived terms

• in tan (“when”)

Descendants

• Middle Irish: tan
  • Irish: tan

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Maire Ní Mhaonaigh, Sharon Arbuthnot, Dagmar Wodtko, Maire-Luise Theuerkauf, editors (2019) , “tan, tain”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

---

Old Occitan

Alternative forms

• tant

Etymology

Latin tantus.

Adverb

tan

1. such; so much; to such and extent

Adjective

tan

1. such; so much

References

• von Wartburg, Walther (1928–2002) , “tantus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 131, page 85

---

Old Swedish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tan/

Noun

tan f

1. tooth

Declension

Descendants

• Swedish: tand

---

Somali

Determiner

tan

1. this (feminine)

---

Spanish

Etymology

From tanto, from Latin tam.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtan/, [ˈt̪ãn]
• Rhymes: -an

Adverb

tan

1. so, as

Usage notes

Usually paired with como: tan […] como - "as […] as"

or with que: tan […] que - "so […] that"

Determiner

tan

1. such, such a

Derived terms

---

Sranan Tongo

Etymology

From English stand.

Verb

tan

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

---

Turkish

Etymology

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

Noun

tan (definite accusative tanı, plural tanlar)

1. dawn, twilight

Declension

Synonyms

• seher
• şafak

---

Vietnamese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [taːn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]

Verb

tan • (散, 珊, 潵, 㪚)

1. to melt
2. to dissolve, dissipate

Derived terms

References

• Lê Sơn Thanh, "Nom-Viet.dat", WinVNKey (details)

---

Welsh

Alternative forms

• (under): dan, o dan

Etymology

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

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.

See also

• tân

Mutation

---

Wolof

Noun

tan (definite form tan mi)

1. vulture

---

Yogad

Adverb

tan

1. more; -er

---

Yámana

Noun

tan

1. earth, soil, dust, ground

---

Zay

Etymology

Cognate to Silt'e [script needed] (tan).

Noun

tan

1. smoke (from a fire)

References

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

Source: wiktionary.org

• TAM, a tight-fitting Scottish cap.
  (source: Collins Scrabble Dictionary)