taper

1
[ tey-per ]
See synonyms for taper on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
  1. to become smaller or thinner toward one end.

  2. to grow gradually lean.

verb (used with object)
  1. to make gradually smaller toward one end.

  2. to reduce gradually.

noun
  1. gradual diminution of width or thickness in an elongated object.

  2. gradual decrease of force, capacity, etc.

  1. anything having a tapering form, as a spire or obelisk.

  2. a candle, especially a very slender one.

  3. a long wick coated with wax, tallow, or the like, as for use in lighting candles or gas.

Verb Phrases
  1. taper off,

    • to become gradually more slender toward one end.

    • to cease by degrees; decrease; diminish: The storm is beginning to taper off now. I haven't stopped smoking entirely, but I'm tapering off to three cigarettes a day.

Origin of taper

1
First recorded before 900; from Middle English: “wax candle,” from Old English, variant of tapur, dissimilated variant of unattested papur paper

word story For taper

English taper has no relatives in other languages. In Old English, tapur, tapor meant “candle, candlewick.” Tapur may possibly be a dissimilated form of Latin papȳrus “papyrus plant, papyrus, paper,” sometimes used as a candlewick. Alternatively, the Old English form could be of Celtic origin, akin to Irish tapar and Welsh tampr “a taper, a torch,” from a Proto-Indo-European root tep- “to be warm,” source of Latin tepidus “lukewarm” (English tepid ).
A taper is a candle that narrows at one end. The corresponding verb sense “to narrow gradually toward one end” appeared in the very early 17th century; the related figurative sense “to gradually decrease or diminish” dates from the mid-19th century.

Other words from taper

  • ta·per·er, noun
  • ta·per·ing·ly, adverb
  • un·ta·per·ing, adjective

Words that may be confused with taper

Other definitions for taper (2 of 2)

taper2
[ tey-per ]

noun
  1. a person who records or edits magnetic tape, videotape, etc.

Origin of taper

2
First recorded in 1980–85; tape + -er1

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use taper in a sentence

  • Producing a couple of wax tapers, he lighted them, handed one to Coronado, and led the way into the silent Casa de Montezuma.

    Overland | John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for taper

taper

/ (ˈteɪpə) /


verb
  1. to become or cause to become narrower towards one end: the spire tapers to a point

  2. (often foll by off) to become or cause to become smaller or less significant

noun
  1. a thin candle

  2. a thin wooden or waxed strip for transferring a flame; spill

  1. a narrowing

  2. engineering (in conical parts) the amount of variation in the diameter per unit of length

  3. any feeble source of light

Origin of taper

1
Old English tapor, probably from Latin papӯrus papyrus (from its use as a wick)

Derived forms of taper

  • taperer, noun
  • tapering, adjective
  • taperingly, adverb

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