tar
Plural: tars
Noun
- any of various dark heavy viscid substances obtained as a residue
- a man who serves as a sailor
- A black, oily, sticky, viscous substance, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons derived from organic materials such as wood, peat, or coal.
- Coal tar.
- A black, oily, sticky, viscous substance, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons derived from organic materials such as wood, peat, or coal.
- A solid residual byproduct of tobacco smoke.
- A sailor, because of the traditional tarpaulin clothes.
- Black tar, a form of heroin.
- A program for archiving files, common on Unix systems.
- A file produced by such a program.
- A Persian long-necked, waisted string instrument, shared by many cultures and countries in the Middle East and the Caucasus.
- A single-headed round frame drum originating in North Africa and the Middle East.
- Alternative form of tara (“Indian coin”).
Verb
Verb Forms: tarred, tarring, tars
- To cover or treat something with a black, viscous liquid.
- coat with tar
- "tar the roof"
- "tar the roads"
- To coat with tar.
- To besmirch.
- To create a tar archive.
Examples
- He managed to TAR his opponent’s chances of winning with a clever seven-letter word.
- The allegations tarred his name, even though he was found innocent.
Origin / Etymology
PIE word
*dóru
From Middle English ter, terr, tarr, from Old English teoru, from Proto-West Germanic *teru, from Proto-Germanic *terwą (compare Saterland Frisian Taar, West Frisian tarre, tar, Dutch teer, German Teer), from Proto-Indo-European *derwo- (compare Welsh derw (“oaks”), Lithuanian dervà (“pinewood, resin”), Russian де́рево (dérevo, “tree”), Bulgarian дърво́ (dǎrvó, “tree”)), from *dóru (“tree”). More at tree.
Synonyms
gob, Jack, Jack-tar, mariner, old salt, pitch, sea dog, seafarer, seaman, Jack Tar, Jack tar, jack, jacktar
Antonyms
Scrabble Score: 3
tar: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordtar: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tar: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary