n.
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English tak fastener, rope tying down the windward corner of a sail, from Middle French (Norman dialect) taque; akin to Middle Dutch tac sharp point
Date: 1574
1 : a small short sharp-pointed nail usually having a broad flat head
2 a : the direction of a ship with respect to the trim of her sails <starboard tack > b : the run of a sailing ship on one tack c : a change when close-hauled from the starboard to the port tack or vice versa d : a zigzag movement on land e : a course or method of action especially : one sharply divergent from that previously followed
3 : any of various usually temporary stitches
4 : the lower forward corner of a fore-and-aft sail
5 : a sticky or adhesive quality or condition