A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

tabby --- 1638, "striped silk taffeta," from Fr. tabis "a rich, watered silk (originally striped)," from M.Fr. atabis (14c.), from Arabic 'attabiya, from 'Attabiy, a neighborhood of Baghdad where such cloth was first made, named for prince 'Attab of the Omayyad dynasty. Tabby cat, one with a striped coat, is attested from 1695; shortened form tabby first attested 1774. Sense of "female cat" (1826) may be infl. by the fem. proper name Tabby, a pet form of Tabitha, which was used in late 18c. as slang for "difficult old woman."

tabernacle --- c.1250, "portable sanctuary carried by the Israelites in the wilderness," from O.Fr. tabernacle (12c.), from L. tabernaculum "tent," especially "a tent of an augur" (for taking observations), dim. of taberna "hut, cabin, booth" (see tavern). Transfered 1388 to the Temple in Jerusalem (which continued its function). Sense of "house of worship" first recorded 1693. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles (mid-October) was observed as a thanksgiving for harvest.

Tabitha --- fem. proper name, from L.L., from Gk. Tabitha, from Aramaic tabhyetha, emphatic of tabhya "gazelle," which is related to Heb. tzebhi (fem. tzebhiyyah), Arabic zaby.

tabla --- pair of drums used in northern Indian music, 1865, from Hindi, from Arabic tabl "a drum played with the hand."

tablature --- type of musical notation for lute or stringed instrument, 1574, from Fr. tablature (1553), from L. tabula "table" (see table); infl. by It. tavolatura, from tavolare "to board, plank, enclose with boards."

table (n.) --- c.1175, "board, slab, plate," from O.Fr. table "board, plank, writing table, picture" (11c.), and late O.E. tabele, from W.Gmc. *tabal (cf. O.H.G. zabel, Ger. Tafel), both from L. tabula "a board, plank, table," originally "small flat slab or piece" usually for inscriptions or for games, of uncertain origin, related to Umbrian tafle "on the board." The sense of "piece of furniture with the flat top and legs" first recorded c.1300 (the usual L. word for this was mensa; O.E. writers used bord). The meaning "arrangement of numbers or other figures for convenience" is recorded from c.1386 (e.g. table of contents, 1460). Tablecloth is from 1467; tablespoon is 1763; tableware first recorded 1852. Fig. phrase turn the tables (1634) is from backgammon (in O.E. and M.E. the game was called tables). Table talk is attested from 1569, translating L. colloquia mensalis. To table-hop is first recorded 1956. The adj. phrase under-the-table "hidden from view" is recorded from 1949; under the table "passed out from excess drinking" is recorded from 1921. Table tennis is recorded from 1887.

table (v.) --- in parliamentary sense, 1718, originally "to lay on the (speaker's) table for discussion," from table (n.). But in U.S. political jargon it has the sense of "to postpone indefinitely" (1866).

tableau --- 1699, "a picturesque or graphic description or picture," from Fr. tableau "picture, painting," from O.Fr. table "slab, writing tablet" (see table) + dim. suffix -eau, from L. -ellus. Hence tableau-vivant (1817) "person or persons silent and motionless, enacting a well-known scene, incident, painting, etc.," popular 19c. parlor game, lit. "living picture."

table-d'hôte --- common table for guests at a hotel, from Fr., lit. "table of the host."

tablet --- c.1315, "slab or flat surface for an inscription" (especially the two Mosaic tables of stone), from O.Fr. tablete (13c.), dim. of table "slab" (see table). The meaning "lozenge, pill" is first recorded 1582; that of "pad of writing paper" in 1880.

tabloid --- 1884, "small tablet of medicine," trademark name (by Burroughs, Wellcome and Co.) for compressed or concentrated chemicals and drugs, formed from tablet + Gk.-derived suffix -oid, from oeides "like." By 1898, it was being used figuratively to mean a compressed form or dose of anything, hence tabloid journalism (1901), and newspapers that typified it (1918), so called for having short, condensed news articles and/or for being small in size.

taboo --- 1777 (in Cook's "A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean"), "consecrated, inviolable, forbidden, unclean or cursed," explained in some Englishsources as being from Tongan (Polynesian language of the island of Tonga) ta-bu "sacred," from ta "mark" + bu "especially." But this may be folk etymology, as linguists in the Pacific have reconstructed an irreducable Proto-Polynesian *tapu, from Proto-Oceanic *tabu "sacred, forbidden" (cf. Hawaiian kapu "taboo, prohibition, sacred, holy, consecrated;" Tahitian tapu "restriction, sacred;" Maori tapu "be under ritual restriction, prohibited"). The noun and verb are Eng. innovations first recorded in Cook's book.

tabor --- small drum resembling a tamborine, c.1290, from O.Fr. tabour, tabur "drum" (11c.), probably from Pers. tabir "drum," but evolution of sense and form are uncertain. Related to tambourine.

tabula rasa --- 1535, "the mind in its primary state," from L., lit. "scraped tablet," from which writing has been erased, thus ready to be written on again, from tabula (see table) + rasa, fem. pp. of radere "to scrape away, erase" (see raze). A loan-translation of Aristotle's pinakis agraphos, lit. "unwritten tablet" ("De anima," 7.22).

tabular --- table-shaped, 1656, from L. tabularis "of a slab or tablet," from tabula "slab" (see table).

tabulate --- 1734, "to put into form of a table," from L. tabula (see table). Tabulation is from 1837.

tachometer --- 1810, from Gk. tachos "speed" + Eng. -meter, on model of barometer, etc.

tachyon --- 1967, hypothetical faster-than-light particle, from Gk. tachys "swift."

tacit --- 1604, from Fr. tacite, from L. tacitus "that is passed over in silence, done without words, assumed, silent," prop. pp. of tacere "to be silent," from PIE base *tak- "to be silent" (cf. Goth. þahan, O.N. þegja "to be silent," O.N. þagna "to grow dumb," O.S. thagian, O.H.G. dagen "to be silent"). The musical instruction tacet is the 3rd person present sing. of the L. verb.

taciturn --- habitually silent, 1771, back-formation from taciturnity (1450), from M.Fr. taciturnité, from L. taciturnitatem (nom. taciturnitas) "a being or keeping silent," from taciturnus "disposed to be silent," from tacitus "silent" (see tacit).

tack (1) --- clasp, hook, fastener, 1296, from O.N.Fr. taque "nail, pin, peg," probably from a Gmc. source (cf. M.Du. tacke "twig, spike," Low Ger. takk "tine, pointed thing," Ger. Zacken "sharp point, tooth, prong"); perhaps related to tail. Meaning "small, sharp nail with a flat head" is attested from 1463. Verb sense of "to attach as a supplement" (with suggestion of hasty or arbitrary proceeding) is attested from 1683. The meaning "rope to hold the corner of a sail in place" is first recorded 1481; hence the verb meaning "sail into the wind," first recorded 1557, which lead to the fig. sense of "course or line of conduct or action" (1675).

tack (2) --- horse's harness, etc., 1924, shortening of tackle in sense of "equipment." Tack in a non-equestrian sense as a shortening of tackle is recorded in dialect from 1777.

tack (3) --- food, 1833, perhaps a shortening and special use of tackle in the sense of "gear." Hard-tack was originally "ship's biscuit," soft-tack being bread.

tackle (n.) --- c.1250, "apparatus, gear," from M.Du. or M.L.G. takel "the rigging of a ship," perhaps related to M.Du. taken "grasp, seize" (see take), or perhaps from root of tack (1). Meaning "apparatus for fishing" is recorded from 1398. The noun meaning "act of tackling" in the sporting sense is recorded from 1876 (see tackle (v.)); as the name of a position in Amer. football, it is recorded from 1891.

tackle (v.) --- c.1340, "entangle, involve," from tackle (n.). Sense of "to furnish (a ship) with tackles" is from c.1400; meaning "to harness a horse" is recorded from 1714. The meaning "lay hold of, come to grips with, attack" is attested from 1828, described by Webster that year as "a common popular use of the word in New England, though not elegant;" fig. sense of "try to deal with" (a task or problem) is from 1840. The verb in the sporting sense first recorded 1884.

tacky (1) --- sticky, 1788, from tack (1) in the sense of "an act of attaching temporarily."

tacky (2) --- in poor taste, 1862, adj. use of tackey (n.) "small or inferior horse" (1800), later "hillbilly, cracker" (1888), of uncertain origin.

taco --- tortilla filled with spiced meat, etc., 1949, from Mexican Sp., "light lunch," lit. "plug, wadding."

tact --- 1651, "sense of touch or feeling" (with an isolated instance from c.1200), from L. tactus "touch, feeling, handling, sense of touch," from root of tangere "to touch" (see tangent). Meaning "sense of "discernment, diplomacy, etc." first recorded 1804, from a sense that developed in Fr. cognate tact.

tactics --- 1626, from Mod.L. tactica (17c.), from Gk. taktike techne "art of arrangement," noun use of fem. of taktikos "of or pertaining to arrangement," especially "tactics in war," adj. to taxis "order," verbal noun of tassein "arrange," from PIE base *tag- "to set aright." Tactical is attested in Eng. from 1570; in ref. to nuclear weapons (opposed to strategic) it is recorded from 1957.

tactile --- 1615, "perceptible to touch," from Fr. tactile, from L. tactilis "tangible, that may be touched," from tactus, pp. of tangere "to touch" (see tangent). Meaning "of or pertaining to touch" is attested from 1657.

tad --- 1877, "young or small child," probably a shortened form of tadpole. The extended meaning "small amount" is first recorded 1915.

tadpole --- c.1400, from tadde "toad" (see toad) + pol "head" (see poll).

tae kwon do --- 1967, from Korean, from tae "kick" + kwon "fist" + do "art, way, method."

taffeta --- 1373, from O.Fr. taffetas (1317), from It. taffeta, ult. from Pers. taftah "silk or linen cloth," noun use of taftah, pp. of taftan "to shine," also "to twist, spin." Applied to different fabrics at different times (and cf. tapestry).

taffrail --- 1814, alteration of tafferel "upper panel on the stern of a ship (often ornamented)" (1704), earlier, "a carved panel" (1622), from Du. tafereel "panel for painting or carving," dissimulation from *tafeleel, dim. of tafel "table," from the general W.Gmc. borrowing of L. tabula "slab, board" (see table). The word developed in Du. from the custom of ornamenting the high, flat stern of old sailing ships; spelling and sense altered in Eng. by infl. of rail (n.).

taffy --- candy made from sugar or molasses, 1817, related to toffee, but of uncertain origin; perhaps associated with tafia (1763), a rum-like alcoholic liquor distilled from molasses, presumably of W.Indian or Malay origin (perhaps a Creole shortening of ratafia). On this theory, the candy would have been made from the syrup skimmed off the liquor during distillation.

Taffy --- characteristic name of a Welshman, c.1700, from Teifi, Welsh corruption of David (q.v.).

tag (1) --- small hanging piece, 1402, perhaps from a Scand. source (cf. Norw. tagg "point, prong," Swed. tagg "prickle, thorn") cognate with tack (1). Meaning "label" is first recorded 1835; sense of "automobile license plate" is recorded from 1935, originally underworld slang. Meaning "an epithet, popular designation" is recorded from 1961, hence slang verb meaning "to write graffiti in public places" (1990). The verb meaning "to furnish with a tag" is from 1436. To tag along is first recorded 1900.

tag (2) --- children's game, 1738, perhaps a variation of Scot. tig "touch, tap" (1721), probably an alteration of M.E. tek "touch, tap" (see tick (2)). The verb in the baseball sense is recorded from 1907; the adj. in the pro wrestling sense is recorded from 1955.

Tagalog --- people living near Manila in the Philippines, also their language, 1704, from Tagalog taga "native to" + ilog "river."

Tahoe --- Lake on the Nevada-California border, from Washo /da'aw/ "lake."

tai chi --- 1736, the "supreme ultimate" in Taoism and Neo-Confucianism, from Chinese tai "extreme" + ji "limit." The form of martial arts training (said to have been developed by a priest in the Sung dynasty, 960-1279) is first attested 1962, in full, tai chi ch'uan, with Chinese quan "fist."

taiga --- belt of coniferous forests in Siberia, 1888, from Rus. taiga, of Mongolian origin.

tail (n.1) --- hindmost part of an animal, O.E. tægl, tægel, from P.Gmc. *tagla- (cf. O.H.G. zagal, Ger. Zagel "tail," dialectal Ger. Zagel "penis," O.N. tagl "horse's tail"), from PIE *doklos, from base *dek- "something long and thin" (referring to such things as fringe, lock of hair, horsetail; cf. O.Ir. dual "lock of hair," Skt. dasah "fringe, wick"). The primary sense, at least in Gmc., seems to have been "hairy tail," or just "tuft of hair," but already in O.E. the word was applied to the hairless "tails" of worms, bees, etc. Another O.E. word for "tail" was steort (see stark). Meaning "reverse side of a coin" is from 1684; that of "backside of a person, buttocks" is recorded from 1303; slang sense of "pudenda" is from 1362; that of "woman as sex object" is from 1933, earlier "prostitute" (1846). The tail-race (1776) is the part of a mill race below the wheel. To turn tail "take flight" (c.1586) originally was a term in falconry. The image of the tail wagging the dog is attested from 1907.

tail (n.2) --- limitation of ownership, a legal term, 1321 in Anglo-Fr.; 1284 in Anglo-L., in most cases an aphetic form of entail.

tail (v.) --- follow secretly, U.S. colloquial, 1907, is from earlier sense of "follow or drive cattle," from tail (n.1). Tail off "diminish" is attested from 1854.

tailgate (n.) --- 1868, back panel on a wagon, hinged to swing down and open, from tail + gate. Extended by 1950 to hatchback door on an automobile. The verb meaning "to drive too close behind another vehicle" is from 1951; tailgate party "party or picnic at the open tail-gate of a parked car" is attested from 1970.

tailor --- 1296, from Anglo-Fr. tailour, from O.Fr. tailleor "tailor," lit. "a cutter," from tailler "to cut," from M.L. taliator vestium "a cutter of clothes," from L.L. taliare "to split," from L. talea "a slender stick, rod, staff, a cutting, twig," on the notion of a piece of a plant cut for grafting. Possible cognates include Skt. talah "wine palm," O.Lith. talokas "a young girl," Gk. talis "a marriageable girl" (for sense, cf. slip of a girl, twiggy), Etruscan Tholna, name of the goddess of youth.

tailspin --- 1917, "downward spiraling dive of an aircraft," from tail (n.1) + spin. Fig. sense of "state of loss of control" is from 1928.

taint (v.) --- 1573, "to corrupt, contaminate," also "to trouch, tinge, imbue slightly" (1591), from M.E. teynten "to convict, prove guilty" (c.1375), partly from O.Fr. ataint, pp. of ataindre "to touch upon, seize" (see attainder). Also from Anglo-Fr. teinter "to color, dye" (1409), from O.Fr. teint (12c.), pp. of teindre "to dye, color," from L. tingere (see tincture).

Taj Mahal --- mausoleum at Agra, India, built c.1640 by Shah Jahan for his favorite wife, from Pers., lit. "the best of buildings;" second element related to Arabic halla "to lodge." But some authorities hold that the name of the mausoleum is a corruption of the name of the woman interred in it, Mumtaz (in Pers., lit. "chosen one") Mahal, who died in 1631. Fig. use as a name denoting anything surpassing or excellent is attested from 1895.

take (n.) --- 1654, "that which is taken in payment," from take (v.). Sense of "money taken in" by a single performance, etc., is from 1931. Movie-making sense is recorded from 1927. Criminal sense of "money acquired by theft" is from 1888. The verb sense of "to cheat, defraud" is from 1920. On the take "amenable to bribery" is from 1930.

take (v.) --- late O.E. tacan, from a N.Gmc. source (e.g. O.N. taka "take, grasp, lay hold," past tense tok, pp. tekinn; Swed. ta, pp. tagit), from P.Gmc. *tækanan (cf. M.L.G. tacken, M.Du. taken, Goth. tekan "to touch"), of uncertain origin, perhaps originally meaning "to touch." Gradually replaced M.E. nimen as the verb for "to take," from O.E. niman, from the usual W.Gmc. *nem- root (cf. Ger. nehmen, Du. nemen), also of unknown origin. OED calls it "one of the elemental words of the language;" take up alone has 55 varieties of meaning in that dictionary. Basic sense is "to lay hold of," which evolved to "accept, receive" (as in take my advice) c.1200; "absorb" (he can take a punch) c.1200; "to choose, select" (take the long way home) c.1275; "to make, obtain" (take a shower) 1375; "to become affected by" (take sick) c.1300. Take five is 1929, from the approximate time it takes to smoke a cigarette. Take it easy first recorded 1880; take the plunge "act decisively" is from 1876; take the rap "accept (undeserved) punishment" is from 1930. Phrase take it or leave it is recorded from 1897.

take-off --- caricature, colloquial, 1846, from earlier sense of "thing that detracts from something, drawback" (1826), from take (v.) + off. Meaning "act of becoming airborne" is from 1904 in ref. to aircraft; in ref. to jumping, it is attested from 1869.

takeout (adj.) --- in ref. to food prepared at a restaurant but not eaten there, 1941, from take (v.) + out. British equivalent take-away is recorded from 1964 (adj.), 1970 (n.).

takeover (n.) --- 1917, "an act of taking over," noun derivative of verbal phrase take over (1884), from take (v.) + over. Attested from 1958 in the corporate sense.

talc --- 1582, from M.Fr. talc, probably from Sp. talco and M.L. talcum "talc" (c.1317), both from Arabic talq, from Pers. talk "talc."

talcum --- 1558, from M.L. talcum, used for any of various shiny minerals (see talc).

tale --- O.E. talu "story, tale, the action of telling," from P.Gmc. *talo (cf. Du. taal "speech, language"), from PIE base *del- "to recount, count." The secondary Eng. sense of "number, numerical reckoning" (c.1200) probably was the primary one in Gmc., cf. teller (see tell) and O.Fris. tale, M.Du. tal "number," O.S. tala "number," O.H.G. zala, Ger. Zahl "number." The ground sense of the Mod.Eng. word in its main meaning, then, might have been "an account of things in their due order." Related to talk and tell. Meaning "things divulged that were given secretly, gossip" is from c.1350; first record of talebearer "tattletale" is 1478.

talent --- 1292, "inclination, disposition, will, desire," from O.Fr. talent, from M.L. talenta, pl. of talentum "inclination, leaning, will, desire" (1098), in classical L. "balance, weight, sum of money," from Gk. talanton "balance, weight, sum," from PIE *tel-, *tol- "to bear, carry" (see extol). Originally an ancient unit of weight or money (varying greatly and attested in O.E. as talente), the M.L. and common Romanic sense developed from fig. use of the word in the sense of "money." Meaning "special natural ability, aptitude," developed c.1430, from the parable of the talents in Matt. xxv:14-30.

talesman --- reserve member of a jury, 1679, from tales "writ ordering bystanders to serve" (1495), via Anglo-Fr. (c.1250), from L. tales (in tales de circumstantibus "such persons from those standing about," a clause featured in such a writ), noun use of pl. of talis "such."

Taliban --- Sunni fundamentalist movement in Afghanistan, Pashto pl. of Arabic talib "student;" so called because it originated among students in Pakistani religious schools. Group formed c.1993. Often incorrectly treated as singular in English.

talisman --- 1638, from Fr. talisman, in part via Arabic tilsam (pl. tilsaman), a Gk. loan-word; in part directly from Byzantine Gk. telesma "talisman, religious rite, payment," earlier "consecration, ceremony," originally "completion," from telein "perform (religious rites), pay (tax), fulfill," from telos "completion, end, tax" (see tele-).

talk (n.) --- c.1475, "speech, discourse, conversation," from talk (v.). Meaning "informal lecture or address" is from 1859. Talk of the town first recorded 1624. Talk show first recorded 1965; talk radio is from 1985.

talk (v.) --- c.1225, talken, probably a dim. or frequentative form related to M.E. tale "story," ultimately from the same source as tale (cf. hark from hear, stalk from steal) and replacing that word as a verb. E.Fris. has talken "to talk, chatter, whisper." To talk shop is from 1854. To talk turkey is from 1824, supposedly from an elaborate joke about a swindled Indian. Talking head is from 1968. Talkative is first recorded 1432. To talk back "answer impudently or rudely" is from 1869.

talkie --- motion picture with sound, 1913, from earlier talking picture (1908), from talk (v.).

tall --- high in stature, 1530, probably ult. from O.E. getæl "prompt, active." Sense evolved to "brave, valiant, seemly, proper" (c.1400), then to "attractive, handsome" (c.1450), and finally "being of more than average height." The O.E. word is related to O.H.G. gi-zal "quick," Goth. un-tals "indocile." Sense evolution is remarkable, but adjectives applied to persons often mutate quickly in meaning (e.g. pretty, boxom, Ger. klein "small, little," which in M.H.G. meant the same as its Eng. cognate clean). Phrase tall, dark, and handsome is recorded from 1906.

Tallahassee --- place in Florida, U.S.A., 1799, from Muskogee tvlvhasse, name of a tribal town, perhaps from etvlwv "tribal town" + vhasse "old, rancid."

tallboy --- high glass or goblet, 1676, from tall + boy, though the exact signification is unclear. In ref. to a high chest of drawers it is recorded from 1769, here perhaps a partial loan-transl. of Fr. haut bois, lit. "high wood."

tallow --- c.1350, talwgh, from a form cognate with M.L.G. talg "tallow," M.Du. talch, from P.Gmc. *talga-, meaning perhaps originally "firm, compact material" (cf. Goth. tulgus "firm, solid").

tally (n.) --- 1440, "stick marked with notches to indicate amount owed or paid," from Anglo-Fr. tallie (1321), Anglo-L. talea (1189), from M.L. tallia, from L. talea "a cutting, rod, stick" (see tailor, and cf. sense history of score). Meaning "a thing that matches another" first recorded 1651, said to be from practice of splitting a tally lengthwise, debtor and creditor each retaining one of the halves. Sports sense of "a total score" is from 1856. The verb is c.1440, from M.L. talliare "to tax," from tallia.

tallyho --- huntsman's cry, 1772, earlier as a roistering character, Sir Toby Tallyho (1756), from Fr. taiaut, cry used in deer hunting (1662), from O.Fr. taho, tielau. Meaning "fast coach" is from 1823, originally in reference to the one that made the run from London to Birmingham.

Talmud --- body of Jewish traditional ceremonial and civil law, 1532, from late Heb. talmud "instruction" (c.130 C.E.), from lama-d "to teach."

talon --- c.1400, talounz "claws of a bird or beast," probably originally from O.Fr. talon "heel or hinder part of the foot of a beast, or of a man, or of a shoe," from M.L. talonem "heel," from L. talus "ankle" (see talus (1)). "The extension to birds of prey, and subsequent stages, are peculiar to English" [OED].

talus (1) --- anklebone, 1693, from L. talus "ankle, anklebone, knucklebone" (pl. tali), related to L. taxillus "a small die, cube" (they originally were made from the knucklebones of animals).

talus (2) --- slope, 1645, from Fr. talus (16c.), from O.Fr. talu "slope" (12c.), probably from Gallo-Romance *talutum, from L. talutium "a slope or outcrop of rock debris," possibly of Celtic origin (cf. Breton tal "forehead, brow"). OED, however, suggests derivation from root of talus (1) in the sense of "heel" which developed in its Romanic descendants. Mainly used of military earthwork at first; meaning "sloping mass of rocky fragments that has fallen from a cliff" is first recorded 1830.

tamale --- 1856, from Amer.Sp. tamales, pl. of tamal, from Nahuatl tamal, tamalli, a food made of Indian corn and meat.

tamarack --- N.Amer. red larch, 1805, probably of Algonquian origin (cf. synonymous hackmatack, 1792, from a source akin to Abenaki akemantak "a kind of supple wood used for making snowshoes").