a department of S France, in Midi-Pyrénées region. Capital: Albi. Pop: 350 477 (2003 est). Area: 5780 sq km (2254 sq miles)
a river in SW France, rising in the Massif Central and flowing generally west to the Garonne River. Length: 375 km (233 miles)
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English terne, tarne, from Old Norse tjǫrn “pond, pool.” Tarn was originally restricted to northern English dialects (where the Danes settled) or in written works about northern England. Tarn entered mainstream English in the works of the Lake Poets ( def. )
A mountain pool that forms in a hollow scooped out by a glacier is called a tarn. Officially, tarns are smaller than lakes. Another name for a tarn is a corrie loch, from the Scottish Gaelic coire, or "pot," and loch, "lake." These glacier-formed pools are found all over the world, from New York's Adirondack Mountains to the Tatras Mountains in Slovakia. The word tarn comes from the Old Norse tjörn, "small mountain lake with no tributaries."
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mr Cooper, a climate change photographer from Ambleside, said he was walking in the woods to the north of the tarn when he spotted the table and chairs.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2021
A lake that is confined to a glacial cirque is known as a tarn such as Silver Lake near Brighton Ski resort located in Big Cottonwood Canyon or Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2017
I learned that a tarn is a pond, a gill is a stream, and duckboards are slats across boggy ground.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2015
When we came upon a tarn, or alpine lake, we stopped in our tracks, entranced by an oval frame of water reflecting dark forest, blue skies and the snow-covered ridges of mountain peaks.
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2011
With the gray suit, she wore a cherry-colored tarn pulled over one eye and vici-kid high buttoned shoes with spool heels.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
National Union of Students Wales president Orla Tarn said the union was pleased the government had taken measures to stop young people being "priced out of education".
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2023
This week, host Isaac Butler talks to Tarn and Zach Adams, two brothers who’ve been continually crafting and updating the video game Dwarf Fortress for two decades.
From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2023
"We must continue with the reforms," said Macron on Thursday, during a visit to the southern French region of Tarn.
From Reuters ● Jun. 9, 2022
There, for several months, her father was part of a Jewish resistance movement, helping to ferry men and messages to units in the Tarn region.
From New York Times ● May 23, 2022
Montauban, on the Tarn, is a busy place, but a picturesque one also.
From When Love Calls by Weyman, Stanley John
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
