Tarzan
[ tahr-zuhn, -zan ]
/ ˈtɑr zən, -zæn /
noun
the hero of a series of jungle stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
a person of superior or superhuman physical strength, agility, and prowess.
QUIZZES
TAKE THIS QUIZ IF A DAZZLING VOCABULARY IS YOUR DESIDERATUM!
Have the Words of the Day from October 19–25, 2020, made an indelible mark on your memory? Take the quiz to find out!
Question 1 of 7
What does “clement” mean?
Words nearby Tarzan
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for Tarzan
British Dictionary definitions for Tarzan
Tarzan
/ (ˈtɑːzən) /
noun
(sometimes not capital) informal, often ironic a man with great physical strength, agility, and virility
Word Origin for Tarzan
C20: after the hero of a series of stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs
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
Cultural definitions for Tarzan (1 of 2)
Tarzan
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.
notes for Tarzan
The adventures of Tarzan have been chronicled in countless books, comic strips, animated cartoons, radio and television series, and motion pictures.
notes for Tarzan
By extension, a “Tarzan” is a macho male, figuratively thumping his chest to get attention.
Cultural definitions for Tarzan (2 of 2)
Tarzan
A character in popular novels by the twentieth-century American author Edgar Rice Burroughs. (See under “Mythology and Folklore.”)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.