tau

American  

[tau, 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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tau

Scientists still need to determine whether accumulating tau contributes to the breakdown of synchronized sleep waves, whether changes in those waves influence tau accumulation, or whether the relationship involves additional processes.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

Together, the sleep recordings, brain scans, spinal fluid analyses, and memory assessments suggest that tau accumulation is associated with a particular disruption of brain activity during deep sleep.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

People whose sleeping brains produced more isolated slow waves had higher ratios of tau to amyloid, another protein closely associated with Alzheimer's disease, in their spinal fluid.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

The team also examined whether these changes were associated with tau accumulation.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026

The opposite temple exhibits a roof which rests on a black architrave and offers a general resemblance to an inverted tau.

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

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