tan
Plural: tans
Noun
- a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun
- a light brown the color of topaz
- ratio of the opposite to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle
- A light, brown-like colour.
- A darkening of the skin resulting from exposure to sunlight or similar light sources.
- The bark of an oak or other tree from which tannic acid is obtained.
- An Armenian drink made of yoghurt and water similar to airan and doogh
- Synonym of picul, particularly in Cantonese contexts.
- A twig or small switch.
Verb
Verb Forms: tanned, tanning, tans
- To convert animal hide into leather; to acquire a suntan.
- treat skins and hides with tannic acid so as to convert them into leather
- get a tan, from wind or sun
- To change to a tan colour due to exposure to the sun.
- To change an animal hide into leather by soaking it in tannic acid. To work as a tanner.
- To spank or beat.
- To kill by gun, to shoot.
Adjective Satellite
- of a light yellowish-brown color
Adj
- Yellowish-brown.
- Having dark skin as a result of exposure to the sun or an artificial process intended to mimic this effect.
Num
- The second cardinal number two, formerly used in Celtic areas, especially Cumbria and parts of Yorkshire, for counting sheep, and stitches in knitting.
Adjective
- A yellowish-brown color, often resulting from sun exposure.
Examples
- I hoped to "TAN" my score by finding a bonus square for this short word.
- I'm hoping to get a tan this weekend at the beach.
- Mine is the white car parked next to the tan pickup truck.
- No matter how long I stay out in the sun, I never tan, though I do burn.
- She still has a tan from her vacation in Mexico.
- The word "TAN" is short, but its high-value ’N’ can sometimes earn a good score.
- You’re looking very tan this week.
Origin / Etymology
Borrowed from French tan (“tanbark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“green oak”) – compare Breton tann (“red oak”), Old Cornish tannen –, from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰonu (“fir”). Per this hypothesis, related to Hittite [script needed] (tanau, “fir”), Latin femur, genitive feminis (“thigh”), German Tann (“woods”), Tanne (“fir”), Albanian thanë (“cranberry bush”), Ancient Greek θάμνος (thámnos, “thicket”), Avestan 𐬚𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 (θanuuar^ə), Sanskrit धनु (dhánu).
Synonyms
bronze, burn, sunburn, suntan, tangent, topaz, particularly in Cantonese contexts, picul, suntanned, tanned
Scrabble Score: 3
tan: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordtan: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tan: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary