Tarzan

[tahr-zuhn, -zan]

noun

1. the hero of a series of jungle stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

2. a person of superior or superhuman physical strength, agility, and prowess.

Tarzan

/ ˈtɑːzən /

noun

1. informal,  (sometimes not capital) a man with great physical strength, agility, and virility

Tarzan

¹

1. A character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in the early twentieth century. Tarzan, born to aristocratic parents but orphaned in Africa, is raised by apes, who teach him to speak their language.

Tarzan

²

1. A character in popular novels by the twentieth-century American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. (See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)

By extension, a “Tarzan” is a macho male, figuratively thumping his chest to get attention.

The adventures of Tarzan have been chronicled in countless books, comic strips, animated cartoons, radio and television series, and motion pictures.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tarzan¹

C20: after the hero of a series of stories by Edgar Rice _Burroughs

Example Sentences

Later, she gave Goodall books about animals and adventure — especially the Doctor Dolittle tales and Tarzan.

From Los Angeles Times

Skarsgård has incredible range as an actor, as he has also played "Tarzan" and a war hero in "Generation Kill," but his portrayal of villains tends to stand out more.

From Salon

That movie came during a fallow period after the so-called Disney renaissance that created acclaimed animated films such as “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Tarzan.”

From Los Angeles Times

US actor Ron Ely, best known for playing the role of Tarzan in the 1960s television show of the same name, has died aged 86.

From BBC

A British diplomat responded that the islands were home only to “some few Tarzans or Man Fridays whose origins are obscure and are hopefully being wished on to Mauritius”.

From BBC