tau
[tou, taw for 1, 2, 4; tahv, tawv for 3]
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noun
the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet (T, τ).
the consonant sound represented by this letter.
tav.
Also tau·on [tou-on] /ˈtaʊ ɒn/. Physics. tau lepton.
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.
Origin of tau
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for tau
Contemporary Examples of tau
One of these things is tau, another protein used in cells to hold open channels so they can receive nutrients.
Twenty Years of Alzheimer’s Research May Have Focused on the Wrong ProteinElizabeth Lopatto
April 4, 2014
Gray broke the color barrier when he pledged Tau Epsilon Phi.
Historical Examples of tau
It is an embryonic form, and therefore inferior in rank to the Tau moth.
Our Common InsectsAlpheus Spring Packard
Now Ra-Molo had a brother who bore the name of Tau (the lion).
BasutolandMinnie Martin
The pastures of Tau through the mist; the mist is distinctly visible.
A Tour Through The PyreneesHippolyte Adolphe Taine
It is noticeable that the Christian flag bears the Tau Cross.
The Legendary History of the CrossJohn Ashton
This tau was unquestionably the emblem of life, and, therefore, of the greatest virtue.
Evolution in ArtAlfred C. Haddon
tau
noun
Word Origin for tau
C13: via Latin from Greek, of Semitic origin; see tav
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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
tau
n.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.