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  • tana
    tana
    noun
    a variant of thana.
  • Tana
    Tana
    noun
    a river in eastern Africa, the longest river in Kenya, where it flows eastward before turning south to the Indian Ocean: site of a series of hydroelectric dams. 620 miles (998 kilometers) long.

tana

1 American  
[tah-nuh] / ˈtɑ nə /

noun

  1. a variant of thana.


Tana 2 American  
[tah-nah, -nuh] / ˈtɑ nɑ, -nə /

noun

  1. a river in eastern Africa, the longest river in Kenya, where it flows eastward before turning south to the Indian Ocean: site of a series of hydroelectric dams. 620 miles (998 kilometers) long.

  2. Formerly Tsana. Lake Tana, the largest lake in Ethiopia, located in the Amhara Region and the source of the Blue Nile: recognized for its historical, cultural, ecological, and international significance. 1,200 square miles (3,100 square kilometers).


Tana 1 British  
/ ˈtɑːnə /

noun

  1. a lake in NW Ethiopia, on a plateau 1800 m (6000 ft) high: the largest lake of Ethiopia; source of the Blue Nile. Area: 3673 sq km (1418 sq miles)

  2. a river in E Kenya, rising in the Aberdare Range and flowing in a wide curve east to the Indian Ocean: the longest river in Kenya. Length: 708 km (440 miles)

  3. Finnish name: Teno. a river in NE Norway, flowing generally northeast as part of the border between Norway and Finland to the Arctic Ocean by Tana Fjord. Length: about 320 km (200 miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

tana 2 British  
/ ˈtɑːnə /

noun

  1. a small Madagascan lemur, Phaner furcifer

  2. a large tree shrew, Tupaia tana, of Sumatra and Borneo

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Tana

First recorded in 1880–85


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

The root tana = they, is not illustrated without going as far as the Western Australian of Mr. Eyre.

From Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition. — Volume 2 by John MacGillivray

The other varieties of Tupaia belong to the Malayan Archipelago—T. ferruginea, T. tana, T. splendidula, and T. Javanica to Borneo and Java.

From Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Robert Armitage Sterndale

In one of my MSS., however, the reading is tane, the inflected form of tana, the "trunk of a tree," which is better sense.

From Bagh O Bahar, or Tales of the Four Darweshes by Duncan Forbes

He belongs to the caste styled tana, or chieftains, a degree above that of rangatira, or simple gentlemen-warriors.

From Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2) or Settler and Maori in Northern New Zealand by William Delisle Hay

Oe and tana are never used now in place of the plural outou and tatou; but in old folk-lore it is the classical style of addressing the gods in the collective sense. 

From Modern Mythology by Andrew Lang

Patti, the Michael and Tana Powell Professor of Chemistry, in Art & Sciences, and of genetics and medicine, at WashU Medicine, has previously investigated what happens when fructose is processed by the liver.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

Hundreds of others have been affected by suspected cases of food poisoning linked to the free school meals this week, including hundreds across several schools in Tana Toraja, South Sulawesi.

From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026

A revealing anecdote from the early pages of the book: Tana turned away Barbara Sinatra’s offer to buy out the restaurant for a night for Frank Sinatra’s birthday at $25,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

In 1972, mysterious mafia members came into the restaurant to ask Tana to procure early-screening tickets for “The Godfather.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

There were some more conventional pets, too: Tana, a beautiful white and lemon cocker spaniel who was given to me, and Hobo, a springer spaniel I looked after for a friend.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

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