ˈtaktiks, -aktēks noun plural
Etymology: New Latin tactica, plural, from Greek taktika, from neuter plural of taktikos of order, of tactics, fit for arranging, from taktos (verbal of tassein, tattein to arrange, order, place in battle formation) + -ikos -ic; akin to TochA tāśśi commanders, Lithuanian pa togus comfortable, respectable, Latvian pa tāgs comfortable; basic meaning: to arrange
1. usually singular in construction
a. : the science and art of disposing and maneuvering troops, ships, or aircraft in relation to each other and the enemy and of employing them in combat
strategy wins wars; tactics wins battles — Plane Talk
tactics … requires concentration of troops — S.O.Fuqua
b. : the art or skill of employing available forces with an end in view
devising … a tactics of power — John Buchan
2. usually plural in construction : a system or mode of procedure : method
the bullying tactics of the prosecuting attorney
their tactics demoralize the industry — New York Times
3. singular or plural in construction : the study of the grammatical relations within a language including morphology and syntax ; especially : the study of the structure of combinations of morphemes into larger constructions as to order, selection of allomorphs, agreement, and concurrent stress, pitch, and rhythm patterns