I. ˈtär, ˈtȧ(r noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English tarr, terr, from Old English teoru; akin to Middle Low German tere tar, Middle Dutch tar, terre, Old Norse tjara, tar, Gothic triu tree, wood — more at tree
1.
a. : any of various dark brown or black bituminous usually odorous viscous liquids or semiliquids that are obtained by the destructive distillation of wood, coal, peat, shale, and other organic materials and yield pitch on distillation
road tars
— see coal tar , water-gas tar , wood tar
b. : a substance resembling tar in appearance and formed by chemical change
tars in tobacco smoke
2.
[short for tarpaulin ]
: seaman , sailor
salt tars
3. : stuffing , gimp
going to whale the tar out of you — Helen Eustis
has scared the tar out of solid citizens all over the world — Stuart Chase
II. transitive verb
or tarre “
( tarred ; tarred ; tarring ; tars or tarres )
Etymology: Middle English terren, tarren, from Old English tyrwan, tirgan to irritate, upset, provoke; akin to Middle Low German tergen, targen to incite, irritate, Norwegian dialect terga to tease, Russian dërgat' to pluck, pull, tear, Old English teran to tear — more at tear
: to urge into action : incite — usually used with on
other assistants, tarring them on, as the rabble does when dogs fight — Thomas Carlyle
portions and parcels of the past who still guide us and tar us on — O.S.J.Gogarty
III. transitive verb
( tarred ; tarred ; tarring ; tars )
Etymology: Middle English tarren, terren, from tarr, terr tar
1. : to cover or overspread with tar
boarded walls which had once been tarred but were now mellowed — Margery Allingham
2. : to smear or defile as if with tar : taint , stain
rendered ineffective by tarring as stooges of the outside — James Still
— often used with with
tar the Democrats with the stick of secession — H.S.Commager
the humble things with which he was tarred were pulling him down — Oliver La Farge
•
- tar and feather
- tar with the same brush
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Persian
: an oriental lute