Tar Definition

tär
tarred, tarring, tars
noun
tars
A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat.
American Heritage
Any of the solids in smoke, as from tobacco.
Webster's New World
A sailor.
Webster's New World
Wiktionary

(slang, dated) A sailor, because of their tarpaulin clothes. Also Jack Tar.

Wiktionary
verb
tarred, tarring, tars
To cover or smear with or as with tar.
Webster's New World
(computing) To create a tar archive.
Wiktionary
adjective
Of or like tar.
Webster's New World
Covered with tar; tarred.
Webster's New World
idiom
tar and feather
  • To punish (a person) by covering with tar and feathers.
  • To criticize severely and devastatingly; excoriate.
American Heritage
tarred with the same brush
  • Considered or described as having the same faults or bad qualities.
American Heritage
tar and feather
  • to cover (a person) with tar and feathers as in punishment by mob action
Webster's New World
tarred with the same brush
  • having similar faults or obnoxious traits
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Tar

Noun

Singular:
tar
Plural:
tars-

Origin of Tar

  • Middle English terr, tarr, from Old English teoru, teru, from Proto-Germanic *terwą (compare West Frisian tarre, Dutch teer), from Proto-Indo-European *deru̯o (compare Welsh derw (“oaks”), Lithuanian dervà (“pinewood, resin”), Russian дерево (dérevo, “tree”), Bulgarian дърво (dǎrvó, “tree”)), from *dóru (“tree”). More at tree.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English from Old English teru deru- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Abbreviation of tape archive.

    From Wiktionary

  • From Persian تار‎ (târ).

    From Wiktionary

  • Possibly short for tarpaulin

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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