n.
Pronunciation: ' t ī d
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, time, from Old English t ī d; akin to Old High German z ī t time and perhaps to Greek daiesthai to divide
Date: before 12th century
1 a obsolete : a space of time : PERIOD b : a fit or opportune time : OPPORTUNITY c : an ecclesiastical anniversary or festival also : its season ― usually used in combination <Easter tide >
2 a (1) : the alternate rising and falling of the surface of the ocean and of water bodies (as gulfs and bays) connected with the ocean that occurs usually twice a day and is the result of differing gravitational forces exerted at different parts of the earth by another body (as the moon or sun) (2) : a less marked rising and falling of an inland body of water (3) : a periodic movement in the earth's crust caused by the same forces that produce ocean tides (4) : a periodic distortion on one celestial body caused by the gravitational attraction of another (5) : one of the periodic movements of the atmosphere resembling those of the ocean and produced by gravitation or diurnal temperature changes b : FLOOD TIDE 1
3 a : something that fluctuates like the tides of the sea <the tide of public opinion> b : a surging movement of a group <a tide of opportunists>
4 a : a flowing stream : CURRENT b : the waters of the ocean c : the overflow of a flooding stream
– tide · less \ -l ə s \ adjective