CS Knowledge Base

Clipping of English tangent.

tan

1. (trigonometry) The trigonometric function tangent.

The symbol tan is prescribed by the ISO 80000-2:2019 standard. The symbol tg, traditionally preferred in Eastern Europe and Russia, is explicitly deprecated by ISO 80000-2:2019.

• tg

Clipping of English Tangale.

tan

1. (international standards) ISO 639-3 language code for Tangale.

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Tangale terms

• enPR: tăn
• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /tæn/
  • (General American, /æ/ raising) IPA^(key): [tɛən]
• (Standard Southern British, Northern England, Scotland, Wales) IPA^(key): /tan/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (Australia) IPA^(key): /tæːn/
  • (Australia, /æ/ raising) IPA^(key): [teːn]
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /tɛn/
• Rhymes: -æn

From Middle English tan, from Old French tan (“tanbark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“green oak”) – compare Breton tann (“red oak”), Old Cornish tannen –, from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰonu (“fir”). Per this hypothesis, related to Hittite [script needed] (tanau, “fir”), Latin femur, genitive feminis (“thigh”), German Tann (“woods”), Tanne (“fir”), Albanian thanë (“cranberry bush”), Ancient Greek θάμνος (thámnos, “thicket”), Avestan 𐬚𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 (θanuuar^ə), Sanskrit धनु (dhánu).

tan (plural tans)

1. A light, brown-like colour.

   tan:  

2. A darkening of the skin resulting from exposure to sunlight or similar light sources.

   She still has a tan from her vacation in Mexico.

   I'm hoping to get a tan this weekend at the beach.

3. The bark of an oak or other tree from which tannic acid is obtained.

   Near-synonym: oakbark (contextually synonymous)

   • 1848, John Hannett, Bibliopegia, or, The Art of Bookbinding in all its branches, page 65:

     In two pints of water boil one ounce of tan, and a like portion of nutgall till reduced to a pint.

4. (Alberta) Synonym of wall ball.

tan (comparative tanner, superlative tannest)

1. Yellowish-brown.

   a tan suit

   Mine is the white car parked next to the tan pickup truck.

   • 2026 January 2, Jad Salfiti, “What Zohran Mamdani’s suit tells us about the man and the way society is changing”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     The history of suits in politics is long and storied: from Obama’s “shocking” tan suit, now infamous enough to have its own Wikipedia page, […] .

2. Having dark skin as a result of exposure to the sun or an artificial process intended to mimic this effect.

   Synonyms: suntanned, tanned

   You’re looking very tan this week.

As a verb, from Middle English tannen, from late Old English tannian (“to tan a hide”), from Latin tannare.

tan (third-person singular simple present tans, present participle tanning, simple past and past participle tanned)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To change to a tan colour due to exposure to the sun.

   No matter how long I stay out in the sun, I never tan, though I do burn.

2. (transitive) To change an animal hide into leather by soaking it in tannic acid.
3. (transitive, stative) To work as a tanner.
4. (transitive, informal) To spank or beat.
   • 1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter 3, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC:

     "Well, go 'long and play; but mind you get back some time in a week, or I'll tan you."

• Appendix:Colors

From a Brythonic language; influenced in form by yan (“one”) in the same series.

tan

1. (dialect, rare) The second cardinal number two, formerly used in Celtic areas, especially Cumbria and parts of Yorkshire, for counting sheep, and stitches in knitting.

Borrowed from Armenian թան (tʻan).

tan

2. An Armenian drink made of yoghurt and water similar to airan and doogh

Borrowed from Cantonese 擔／担 (daam3).

tan (usually uncountable, plural tans)

1. Synonym of picul, particularly in Cantonese contexts.

From Middle English *tan, from Old English tān (“twig, shoot, switch”), from Proto-West Germanic *tain, from Proto-Germanic *tainaz (“rod, twig, straw, lot”).

tan (plural tans)

2. (dialectal) A twig or small switch.

• mistletoe

It may either be a figurative use of the usual verb tan (“to cause to acquire a brownish colour”) or a Jamaican Creole pronunciation of turn, compare bun (“to kill particularly by gunshot”).

tan (third-person singular simple present tans, present participle tanning, simple past and past participle tanned)

1. (transitive, MLE, slang) To kill by gun, to shoot.
   • 2019 September 29, Moscow17, “All For The Cause”‎^[2]:

     Step on the wing, see an opp and I'll whack it
     Do it like Super Savage
     Who's the yute I Jet-Li-rise that dots and tan him (whoosh)
     Rise that dots and tan him

• TNA, a'n't, ant, Ant., Ant, an't, NTA, Nat, ant., NAT, ATN, nat, ANT, -ant, ant-, Nat.

• taan

From ta (“this”) +‎ an (“is”), literally “this being”.

• IPA^(key): /tán/

tan (Kana spelling タン, plural tanokay)

1. (demonstrative) this

• tanpe (“this”)
• tanto (“today”)

taŋ (transitive past tann)

1. to hate, detest, dislike

   Synonym: kyiri

   Metan wo.

   I hate you.

From Middle Breton tan, from Old Breton tan, from Proto-Brythonic *tan, from Proto-Celtic *teɸnets (“fire”) (compare Old Irish teine, Welsh tân).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtãːn/

• Audio:

  (file)

tan m (plural tanioù)

1. fire

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central, Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈtan]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -an

tan

1. so, such
2. (in comparisons, tan ... com) as ... as

• tan bon punt

• tant (“so much, so many”)

• “tan”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

tan

1. dream

From Middle Cornish tan, from Old Cornish tan, from Proto-Brythonic *tan, from Proto-Celtic *teɸnets (“fire”) (compare Old Irish teine, Welsh tân).

tan m (plural tanow)

1. fire

• IPA^(key): /tɑ̃/

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Homophones: tans, tant, taon, temps

From Middle French tan, from Old French tan, from Latin tannum (“oak bark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“oak”), from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”).

tan m (plural tans)

1. pulped oak bark used in the tanning process (i.e. of tanning leather)

• tanin

• “tan”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Blend of ton +‎ ta.

tan n (singular, plural tes)

1. (gender-neutral, neologism) your

• iel
• man
• san

• tun (Pular)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

tan

1. only

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular). (however tun is more common in Pular of Futa Jalon)

tan

1. only

• Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular). (however tun is more common in Pular of Futa Jalon)

• M.O. Diodi, Dictionnaire bilingue fulfuldé-français, français-fulfuldé, Niger(?), 1994.
• M. Niang (1997), Pulaar–English English–Pulaar Standard Dictionary, New York: Hippocrene Books
• D. Osborn, D. Dwyer, and J. Donohoe, A Fulfulde (Maasina)-English-French Lexicon: A Root-Based Compilation Drawn from Extant Sources Followed by English-Fulfulde and French-Fulfulde Listings, East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 1993.
• F.W. de St. Croix and the Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages, Bayero University, Fulfulde-English Dictionary, Kano: The Centre, 1998.
• F.W. Taylor, Fulani-English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1932. (New York:Hippocrene Books, 2005)

• tam, tão (reintegrationist)

Inherited from Latin tam.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtaŋ/ [ˈt̪ɑŋ]
• Rhymes: -aŋ

tan

1. so, as (in comparisons)

• Usually paired with como and coma, as tan […] como/coma

From French temps (“time, weather”).

• IPA^(key): /tã/

tan

1. time
2. weather

• Targète, Jean; Urciolo, Raphael (1993), Haitian Creole-English Dictionary‎^[3], Dunwoody Press, →ISBN, page 186

Back-formation from tanít, tanul, etc. Created during the Hungarian language reform, which took place in the 18th–19th centuries.

• IPA^(key): [ˈtɒn]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tan
• Rhymes: -ɒn

tan (plural tanok)

1. doctrine, lore
2. science of, theory, branch of instruction
3. (as a suffix in compounds) -logy, -ology, -graphy (a branch of learning; a study of a particular subject)

   Synonym: tudomány

4. (as a prefix in compounds) educational, academic

   Synonym: tanulmányi

• tan in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

From Proto-Malayic *tahən, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *taqan (“to hold back”).

• IPA^(key): /tan/

tan

1. resistant (not easily damaged)
2. perseverant
3. undamaged
4. invincible
5. detained

tan

1. to arrest; to detain
2. to hold on someone
3. to stop something/someone

tan

1. Rōmaji transcription of たん

tan

1. romanization of ꦠꦤ꧀

Borrowed from Burmese တန်း (tan:).

tan

1. class

• Kurabe, Keita (31 December 2016), “Phonology of Burmese loanwords in Jinghpaw”, in Kyoto University Linguistic Research‎^[4], volume 35, →DOI, →ISSN, archived from the original on 3 December 2024, pages 91–128

tan

1. Verbal stem occurring in the following root, aspect, and mode combinations:

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Momentaneous		ta (classify animate)

tan

1. nonstandard spelling of tān
2. nonstandard spelling of tán
3. nonstandard spelling of tǎn
4. nonstandard spelling of tàn

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

tan

1. stone

• Charles K. Meek, Tribal Studies in Northern Nigeria (1931)

• tanne, tanny

Borrowed from Old French tan, ten and Medieval Latin tannum, tanium.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtan(ə)/

tan (plural tannes)

1. oak bark

• English: tan
• Yola: tan

• “tan(ne, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

From Old Irish tan, from Proto-Celtic *tanā (“(point in) time”), from Proto-Indo-European *tn̥néh₂, from *ten- (“to stretch”).

tan f

1. (point in) time

• in tan (“when”)
• in tan sin (“then”)

• Irish: tan

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “tan, tain”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *tan.

tan

1. to chop
2. to amputate
3. to cross (an obstacle on the road)

• Lorrain, J. Herbert (1940), “tan”, in Dictionary of the Lushai language, Calcutta: Asiatic Society

From Proto-West Germanic *tain.

• IPA^(key): /tɑːn/
• Rhymes: -ɑːn

tān m

1. twig, branch

Strong a-stem:

• āctān
• tānhlyta, tānhlytere (“diviner”, literally “twig-lot-caster”)
• misteltān (“mistletoe”)
• wuldortān (“glory-twig”)

• Middle English: *tan
  • English: tan

From Gaulish *tannos (attested in the place names Tannetum and Tannogilum), from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈtãn/

tan oblique singular, m (oblique plural tans, nominative singular tans, nominative plural tan)

1. pulped oak bark used in the tanning process (i.e. of tanning leather)

• Middle French: tan
  • French: tan
  • → Dutch: taan
• → Middle English: tan, tanne, tanny
  • English: tan
  • Yola: tan

From Proto-Celtic *tanā (“(point in) time”), from Proto-Indo-European *tn̥néh₂, from *ten- (“to stretch”). Compare Latin tempus (“time”), proposed to be from the same Proto-Indo-European root.

• IPA^(key): /ˈt̪an/

tan f

1. (point in) time

• in tan (“when”)

• Middle Irish: tan
  • Irish: tan

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “tan, tain”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /tan/
• Hyphenation: tan

tan

1. not

tan

1. not

• > Javanese: ꦠꦤ꧀ (tan) (inherited)
• → Indonesian: tan- (learned)

• "tan" in P.J. Zoetmulder with the collaboration of S.O. Robson, Old Javanese-English Dictionary. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, 1982.

• tant

From Latin tantus.

tan

1. such; so much; to such an extent

tan

1. such; so much

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “tantus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 13: T–Ti, page 85

From Old Norse tǫnn, from Proto-Germanic *tanþs.

• IPA^(key): /tan/

tan f

1. tooth

• Swedish: tand

Compare Classical Nahuatl tlantli (“tooth, teeth”).

-tan (plural -tajtan)

1. tooth
2. (in the plural) dentition

• Campbell, L. (1985). The Pipil Language of El Salvador. Mouton De Gruyter.
• Lara-Martínez, R., McCallister, R. Glosario cultural náwat pipil y nicarao.

Back-formation from taniec.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtan/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: tan

tan m inan

1. (archaic, humorous, usually in the plural) dance

   Synonym: taniec

• “tan”, in Wielki słownik języka polskiego‎^[5] (in Polish), Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• “tan”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[6] (in Polish)

From French temps.

tan

1. time
2. weather

• Armand, Alain (1987), Dictionnaire Kréol rénioné/Français [Reunionese Creole-French Dictionary] (in French), Océan Éditions, →ISBN, pages 345-346

tan

1. this (feminine)

From Proto-Austroasiatic *taːɲ. Cognate with Santali teɲ, Khmer ត្បាញ (tbaañ), Arem taːɲ, Khasi tʰaːɲ

• IPA^(key): /-taɲ-/

tan

1. to weave

• tã (archaic)

Inherited from Latin tam.

• IPA^(key): (determiner) /ˈtan/ [ˈt̪ãn]
• IPA^(key): (adverb) /tan/ [t̪ãn]
• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: tan^[1]

tan

1. so, as

   Synonym: igual de

   Eres tan rico como te sientes.

   You are as rich as you feel.

2. very

   Lo único en lo que puedo pensar es en tu cara tan triste.

   All I can think about is your very sad face.

Usually paired with como: tan […] como (“as […] as”) or with que: tan […] que (“so […] that”).

tan

1. such, such a

   ¡Ese tipo es tan patán!

   That guy is such a jerk!

• “tan”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

From English stand.

tan

1. to stay, to reside
2. to stay, to remain in a state

tan

1. (archaic or dialectal) second-person plural imperative of ta

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish طاڭ (taŋ), from Proto-Common Turkic *taŋ.

tan (definite accusative tanı, plural tanlar)

1. dawn, twilight

   O gece tan yeri ağırana kadar selâmettir. ― On that night, there is peace till twilight.

• seher
• şafak

Non-Sino-Vietnamese reading of Chinese 散 (SV: tán, tản).

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [taːn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [taːŋ˧˧]

tan • (散, 㪚, 潵, 珊)

1. to melt
2. (in a liquid) to dissolve, dissipate
3. (in certain expressions) to finish; to dismiss

   Chợ tan họp rồi.

   The market is closed.

• (under): dan, o dan

From Middle Welsh tan, from Proto-Brythonic *tan, from Proto-Celtic *tanai, dative of *tanā, from Proto-Indo-European *tn̥néh₂.

• IPA^(key): /tan/
• Rhymes: -an

tan (triggers soft mutation on a following noun)

1. until
2. (literary) under
3. while

In literary Welsh, tan can mean both "under" and "until". In Welsh usage today, however, dan (originally the soft mutation of tan) has become a preposition in its own right with the meaning "under" whereas tan means "until", retaining the meaning "under" in certain expressions, compound words and place names. Modern dan or tan are not usually mutated. o dan is an alternative to dan.

• tân

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “tan”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

tan (definite form tan mi)

1. vulture

tan

1. earth, soil, dust, ground

tan

1. more; -er

From Middle English tan, from Old French tan.

• IPA^(key): /tan/

tan

1. Sandy land near the sea shore.

• Diarmaid Ó Muirithe (1990), “A Modern Glossary of the Dialect of Forth and Bargy”, in lrish University Review‎^[7], volume 20, number 1, Edinburgh University Press, page 161

Cognate to Silt'e [script needed] (tan).

tan

1. smoke (from a fire)

• Initial SLLE Survey of the Zway Area by Klaus Wedekind and Charlotte Wedekind