I. ˈtat verb
( tatted ; tatted ; tatting ; tats )
Etymology: perhaps of imitative origin
transitive verb
chiefly dialect : to touch lightly
intransitive verb
chiefly dialect : pat
he stood, frowned, tatted at his moustache — Elizabeth Bowen
II. ˈtät noun
( -s )
Etymology: Hindi ṭāṭ
: a coarse fabric (as matting) especially as stretched on a frame and used for the withering of tea leaves
III. ˈtat noun
( -s )
Etymology: by shortening
: tattoo V
IV. verb
also tatt “
( tatted ; tatted ; tatting ; tats also tatts )
Etymology: back-formation from tatting
intransitive verb
: to work at tatting
transitive verb
: to make by tatting
V. ˈtät noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Russian, from Turkish
1.
a. : an agricultural people living in scattered groups throughout Transcaucasia and possibly allied to the Tajiks
b. : a member of such people
2. : the Iranian language of the Tat people
I. noun
( -s )
Etymology: from tat rag, perhaps back-formation from tatty (I)
Britain : something that is tasteless or of inferior quality : junk : rubbish
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: t rans- a ctivating t ranscriptional regulation
: a small protein produced by a lentivirus (as HIV) within infected cells that greatly increases the rate of viral transcription and replication and that is also secreted extracellularly where it plays a role in increasing viral replication in newly infected cells and enhancing the susceptibility of T cells to infection ; also : the viral gene that codes for tat