tau

[tou, taw for 1, 2, 4; tahv, tawv for 3]

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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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 Protein
Elizabeth Lopatto
April 4, 2014
Gray broke the color barrier when he pledged Tau Epsilon Phi.
A Talk with D.C.'s New Mayor
Sandra McElwaine
November 2, 2010

Historical Examples of tau

It is an embryonic form, and therefore inferior in rank to the Tau moth.
Our Common Insects
Alpheus Spring Packard
Now Ra-Molo had a brother who bore the name of Tau (the lion).
Basutoland
Minnie Martin
The pastures of Tau through the mist; the mist is distinctly visible.
A Tour Through The Pyrenees
Hippolyte Adolphe Taine
It is noticeable that the Christian flag bears the Tau Cross.
The Legendary History of the Cross
John Ashton
This tau was unquestionably the emblem of life, and, therefore, of the greatest virtue.
Evolution in Art
Alfred C. Haddon

British Dictionary definitions for tau

tau

noun

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

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

Word Origin and History for tau

nineteenth letter of the Greek alphabet, from Hebrew taw, last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, literally "sign, mark."

tau in Medicine

tau

The 19th letter of the Greek alphabet.