tan

¹ American  

[tan] / tæn /

noun

1. tangent.

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TAN ² American  

[tan] / tæn /

noun

1. tax-anticipation note.

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tan ³ American  

[tan] / tæn /

verb (used with object)

tanned, tanning

1. to convert (a hide) into leather, especially by soaking or steeping in a bath prepared from tanbark or synthetically.

2. to make brown by exposure to ultraviolet rays, as of the sun.

3. Informal.  to thrash; spank.

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verb (used without object)

tanned, tanning

1. to become tanned.

noun

1. the brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun or open air.

2. yellowish brown; light brown.

3. tanbark.

adjective

tanner, tannest

1. of the color of tan; yellowish-brown.

2. used in or relating to tanning processes, materials, etc.

idioms

1. tan someone's hide,  to beat someone soundly.

   She threatened to tan our hides if she found us on her property again.

Tan ⁴ American  

[tan] / tæn /

noun

1. Amy, born 1952, U.S. novelist.

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tan ¹ British  

/ tæn /

noun

1. the brown colour produced by the skin after intensive exposure to ultraviolet rays, esp those of the sun

2. a light or moderate yellowish-brown colour

3. short for tanbark

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verb

1. to go brown or cause to go brown after exposure to ultraviolet rays

   she tans easily

2. to convert (a skin or hide) into leather by treating it with a tanning agent, such as vegetable tannins, chromium salts, fish oils, or formaldehyde

3. slang  (tr) to beat or flog

adjective

1. of the colour tan

   tan gloves

2. used in or relating to tanning

tan ² British  

/ tæn /

abbreviation

1. tangent (sense 2)

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tan Scientific  

1. Abbreviation of tangent

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Other Word Forms

• tannable adjective
• tannish adjective
• untanned adjective
• well-tanned adjective

Etymology

Origin of tan¹

By shortening

Origin of tan¹

First recorded before 1000; 1920–25 tan ¹ for def. 2; Middle English tannen “to make hide into leather,” late Old English tannian (only in past participle getanned ), from Medieval Latin tannāre, derivative of tannum “oak bark, tanbark,” from Germanic; compare Old High German tanna “oak, fir,” akin to Dutch den “fir”

Example Sentences

We moved again in 1969, when I was 9, to a small, tan, three-bedroom house with dark brown shutters in New City, about a half-hour north of New York City.

From The Wall Street Journal

In signature Smith style, her light-wash jeans scrunch just above a pair of tan, heeled boots.

From Los Angeles Times

Her glowing, tanned skin shows off each of her well-defined muscle lines, the result of hours of weight training in the gym.

From BBC

“This man was absolutely handsome, and more importantly, he had the best-looking tan I’ve ever seen on a man or a politician,” McGrath said.

From Los Angeles Times

The Australian’s already got his shirt off, tanning his famous delts and lats, bare feet in the sand.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• beige
• brownish
• drab
• khaki