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

Treatments could be most effective before the brain reaches the point where inflammatory activity becomes connected to tau pathology, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

One especially important transition separated regions dominated by amyloid-β plaques from those associated with tau pathology and neurodegeneration.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

Under healthy conditions, tau stabilizes microtubules, the filament-like structures that help maintain neuronal shape and function.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

Alzheimer's disease and several other neurodegenerative disorders are linked to a damaging change in tau, a protein that normally helps support the internal structure of nerve cells.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026

Well then: our adversaries themselves can say nothing against our interpretation of the word tau.

From The Works of Mr. George Gillespie (Vol. 1 of 2) by Gillespie, George