I. ˈtām adjective
( tam·er ; tam·est )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English tam; akin to Old High German zam tame, Latin domare to tame, Greek damnanai
Date: before 12th century
1. : reduced from a state of native wildness especially so as to be tractable and useful to humans : domesticated
tame animals
2. : made docile and submissive : subdued
3. : lacking spirit, zest, interest, or the capacity to excite : insipid
a tame campaign
• tame·ly adverb
• tame·ness noun
II. verb
( tamed ; tam·ing )
Date: 13th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to reduce from a wild to a domestic state
b. : to subject to cultivation
c. : to bring under control : harness
2. : to deprive of spirit : humble , subdue
the once revolutionary…party, long since tamed — Times Literary Supplement
3. : to tone down : soften
tamed the language in the play
intransitive verb
: to become tame
• tam·able or tame·able ˈtā-mə-bəl adjective
• tam·er noun