tau

American  

[tou, taw, tahv, tawv] / taʊ, tɔ, tɑv, tɔv /

noun

1. the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet (T,τ ).

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

3. tav.

4. Physics. Also tauon tau lepton.

5. Also called tau protein.  Biochemistry. a protein that is an important component of nerve cells, helping to maintain their function and structure: in the brain, distortions in the protein’s molecular shape is associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

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tau British  

/ taʊ, tɔː /

noun

1. the 19th letter in the Greek alphabet (Τ, τ), a consonant, transliterated as t

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Etymology

Origin of tau

1250–1300; Middle English < Latin < Greek taû < Semitic; cf. tav

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tau

At a later stage, they moved into a different antigen-presenting state that appeared at the same time as tau pathology.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

Their brains activated the later microglial program, but this response occurred largely without being tied to tau accumulation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

"We found there was less brain atrophy and less tau accumulation, which was very exciting to see."

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

In disease, however, tau can twist into toxic tangles that interfere with the brain circuits it would normally help preserve.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

As lack of space forbids my making here a more extended comparison of the native symbols, I shall but point out how the tau, in juxtaposition and contraposition painted in two colors, produces fig.

From The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations by Zelia Nuttall