TANNER, tan'[.e]r, _n._ (_slang_) a sixpence. [Said to be Gipsy _tano_, little.]
TANNIN, tan'in, _n._ an astringent substance found largely in oak-bark or gall-nuts, of great use in tanning.--_n._ TANN'ATE, a salt of tannic acid.--_adjs._ TANN'IC; TANNIF'EROUS, yielding tannin.--_n._ TAN'-RIDE, an enclosure spread with tan for riding.--TANNIC ACID, an acid forming the astringent principle of the bark of oak and other trees, used in tanning and in medicine. [Fr. _tannin_.]
TANREC=_Tenrec_ (q.v.).
TANSY, tan'zi, _n._ a genus of composite plants allied to _Artemisia_--Common tansy is a bitter, aromatic plant with small yellow flowers, common on old pasture: a pudding or cake flavoured with tansy, eaten at Easter. [O. Fr. _tanasie_, through Late L., from Gr. _athanasia_, immortality.]
TANTALISE, tan'ta-l[=i]z, _v.t._ to torment by presenting something to excite desire, but keeping it out of reach.--_ns._ TANTALIS[=A]'TION, the act of tantalising: state of being tantalised; TAN'TALISER, one who, or that which, tantalises.--_adv._ TAN'TALISINGLY.--_ns._ TAN'TALISM, the punishment of Tantalus: a tormenting; TAN'TALUS, a spirit-case that locks; TAN'TALUS-CUP, a philosophical toy, having a siphon within the figure of a man whose chin is on a level with its bend. [_Tantalus_, in Gr. mythology, who stood in Tartarus up to his chin in water, with branches of fruit over his head, the water receding when he wished to drink, and the fruit when he wished to eat.]
TANTALUM, tan'tal-um, _n._ a very rare metal of no practical importance, discovered in 1801, closely allied to columbium or niobium.
TANTALUS, tan'ta-lus, _n._ the wood-ibis, a genus of birds of the stork family, quite distinct from the true ibises.
TANTAMOUNT, tan'ta-mownt, _adj._ amounting to so much or to the same: equivalent: equal in value or meaning.--_n._ TAN'TITY, the fact of being or having so much.--_adv._ TAN'TO (_mus._), so much or too much. [O. Fr., _tant_--L. _tantum_, so much, so great, and O. Fr. _amonter_, to amount.]
TANTARA, tan-tar'a, _n._ a blast on a trumpet or horn. [Imit.]
TANTIVY, tan-tiv'i, _adv._ with great speed.--_adj._ swift, hasty.--_v.i._ to hurry off.--_n._ a hunting cry: a rapid movement, a rush. [Imit.]
TANTONY, tan't[=o]-ni, _n._ the smallest pig in the litter--also TANTONY PIG: a petted servant or follower. [From St _Anthony_, who was attended by a pig.]
TANTRA, tan'tra, _n._ in Sanscrit literature, one of the religious text-books of the numerous sects of _S'aktas_--i.e. worshippers of the _S'akti_, or active divine energy, personified in some female deity, esp.
in one of the many forms of Parvati, the wife of S'iva.--_ns._ TAN'TRISM, the doctrines of the tantras; TAN'TRIST, a devotee of tantrism. [Sans.
_tantra_, thread, fundamental doctrine.]
TANTRUM, tan'trum, _n._ a capricious fit of ill-temper without adequate cause. [Prob. W. _tant_, a passion.]
TANTUM ERGO, tan'tum er'g[=o], _n._ the fifth stanza of the hymn 'Pange, lingua, gloriosi corporis mysterium,' written for the office of the Festival of Corpus Christi, which St Thomas of Aquino drew up in 1263.
[From its opening words.]
TANZIMAT, tan'zi-mat, _n._ an organic statute of the Turkish empire, introducing reforms and granting fuller personal liberty, esp. applied to the _hatti-sherif_ of the sultan Abdul Medjid in 1839. [Turk.]
TaOISM, ta'[=o]-izm, or tow'izm, _n._ the religious system founded by the Chinese philosopher Lao-tsze (born 604 B.C.), set forth in the _Tao Teh King_.--_n._ Ta'[=O]IST, an adherent of Taoism.--_adj._ TaOIST'IC.
TAO-TAI, ta'[=o]-t[=i]', _n._ an officer presiding over a Chinese _tao_, or circuit, containing two or more _fu_, or departments.
TAP, tap, _n._ a gentle blow or touch, esp. with something small: a signal with a drum to put lights out.--_v.t._ to strike lightly, touch gently.--_v.i._ to give a gentle knock:--_pr.p._ tap'ping; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ tapped. [O. Fr. _tapper_--Low Ger. _tappen_.]
[Illustration]
TAP, tap, _n._ a hole or short pipe through which liquor is drawn: a place where liquor is drawn: any particular liquor drawn through a tap.--_v.t._ to pierce, so as to let out fluid: to open a cask and draw off liquor: to broach a vessel.--_v.i._ to act as a tapster:--_pr.p._ tap'ping; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ tapped.--_ns._ TAP'-BOLT, a bolt with a head on one end and a thread on the other, to be screwed into some fixed part instead of passing through and receiving a nut; TAP'-CIN'DER, slag produced during puddling; TAP'-HOUSE, a tavern; TAP'LASH, poor stale swipes; TAPOTE'MENT, percussion; TAP'PER, one who taps; TAP'PING, an operation frequently resorted to for the removal of fluid accumulations, particularly in the pleural and peritoneal cavities, consisting in the introduction of one end of a small tube into the cavity and withdrawing the fluid by siphon action, or by means of a vacuum: the act or art of tapping or drawing out fluid; TAP'ROOM, a room where beer is served from the tap or cask; TAP'ROOT, a root of a plant or tree striking directly downward without dividing, and tapering towards the end, as that of the carrot; TAP'STER, one who taps or draws off liquor, a publican, barman.--ON TAP, kept in cask--opp. to bottled: ready to be drawn upon. [A.S. _taeppe_, seen in _taeppere_, one who taps casks; Dut. _tap_, Ger. _zapfen_, a tap.]
TAP, tap, _n._ a Scotch form of _top_.
TAP, tap, _n._ an Indian malarial fever. [Hind.]
TAPA, ta'pa, _n._ the bark of the paper-mulberry, much used in the South Seas for mats, &c.--Also TAP'PA.
TAPADERA, tap-a-d[=a]'ra, _n._ a leather guard for the stirrup of the Californian saddle. [Sp., 'a cover'--_tapar_, to cover.]
TAPE, t[=a]p, _n._ a narrow fillet or band of woven work, used for strings, &c.: a strong flexible band rotating on pulleys for directing the sheets in a printing-machine: the strip of paper used in a printing-telegraph instrument, &c.: (_slang_) liquor.--_v.t._ to furnish, or tie up, with tape: to extend.--_ns._ TAPE'-LINE, -MEAS'URE, a measuring-line of tape, marked with inches, &c.--_adj._ T[=A]'PEN, made of tape.--_n._ T[=A]'PIST, one who uses tape, an official formalist.--BREAST THE TAPE, in foot-racing, to touch with the breast the tape or ribbon held by the judge at the finish-line. [A.S. _taeppe_, a fillet--L. _tapete_--Gr. _tap[=e]s_.]
TAPER, t[=a]'p[.e]r, _n._ a small wax-candle or light: tapering form.--_adj._ narrowed towards the point, like a taper: long and slender.--_v.i._ to become gradually smaller towards one end.--_v.t._ to make to taper.--_adj._ T[=A]'PERING, growing gradually thinner.--_adv._ T[=A]'PERINGLY, in a tapering manner.--_n._ T[=A]'PERNESS, state of being taper. [A.S. _tapor_, prob. Ir. _tapar_.]
TAPESTRY, tap'es-tri, _n._ an ornamental textile used for the covering of walls and furniture, and for curtains and hangings--divided into two classes, according as they are made in high-warp (_haute lisse_) or low-warp (_basse lisse_) looms.--_v.t._ to adorn with tapestry--_n._ TAP'ET (_Spens._). [O. Fr. _tapisserie_--_tapis_; a carpet--L. _tapete_, a carpet, tapestry--Gr. _tap[=e]s_, _-etis_--Pers. _tabsch_.]
TAPETI, tap'e-ti, _n._ the Brazilian hare.
TAPETUM, t[=a]-p[=e]'tum, _n._ (_bot._) the cells on the outside of an archesporium: the pigmentary layer of the retina:--_pl._ T[=A]'PETA. [L.
_tapete_--Gr. _tap[=e]s_, _tap[=e]tos_, a carpet.]
TAPEWORM, t[=a]p'wurm, _n._ a term sometimes used as a popular synonym for Cestoda or Cestoid Worms, but especially for those which belong to the families _Taeniadae_ and _Bothriocephalidae_.
TAPIOCA, tap-i-[=o]'ka, _n._ a farinaceous substance obtained from cassava or manioc by drying it while moist on hot plates, so that the starch grains swell or burst, and the whole agglomerates in small lumps. [Braz.
_tipioka_, the poisonous juice of the cassava.]
TAPIR, t[=a]'pir, _n._ a genus of _Ungulata_, of the section Perissodactyla, thick-skinned, short-necked, with a short flexible proboscis, found in South America.--_adjs._ TAPIR'ODONT, having teeth like the tapir; TAP'IROID, related to the tapirs. [Braz.]
TAPIS, tap'is, or ta-p[=e]', _n._ tapestry, carpeting: formerly, the cover of a council-table.--_vs.i._ (_obs._) TAP'PISH, TAP'PICE, to hide.--UPON THE TAPIS, on the table: under consideration. [Fr.]
TAPPET, tap'et, _n._ (_Spens._) tapestry.
TAPPET, tap'et, _n._ a projecting arm, lever, &c. from any moving part of a machine supplying intermittent motion to some other part.--_ns._ TAPP'ET-LOOM, -MO'TION, -RING, -ROD, &c.
TAPPIT, tap'it, _adj._ (_Scot._) having a top or crest.--_n._ TAPP'IT-HEN, a crested hen: a vessel for liquor holding about three quarts, a liberal allowance of drink generally.
TAPSALTEERIE, tap-sal-t[=e]'ri, _adj._ (_Scot._) topsy-turvy.--Also TAPSIETEER'IE.
TAPSMAN, taps'man, _n._ (_Scot._) a servant with principal charge, the chief of a company of drovers.
TAPU. See TABOO.
TAR, tar, _v.t._ to set on, incite to fight. [M. E. _tarien_, to irritate--A.S. _tergan_, to provoke.]
TAR, tar, _n._ a viscous, liquid, resinous substance of a dark colour, obtained from pine-trees: a sailor, so called from his tarred clothes.--_v.t._ to smear with tar:--_pr.p._ tar'ring; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ tarred.--_ns._ TAR'HEEL, a North Carolinian; TAR'HOOD, sailors collectively.--TAR AND FEATHER, to smear with tar and then cover with feathers.--BE TARRED WITH THE SAME BRUSH, or STICK, to have the same faults as another; HAVE A TOUCH OF THE TAR-BRUSH, to have an infusion of negro blood in the veins. [A.S. _teoro_, _teru_; Dut. _teer_.]
TARABOOKA, ta-ra-b[=oo]'ka, _n._ a drum-like instrument.
TARA-FERN, ta'ra-fern, _n._ a New Zealand brake, with a thickened edible rhizome.
TARANTASS, tar-an-tas', _n._ a four-wheeled vehicle having a boat-shaped body, without springs. [Russ.]
TARANTELLA. See under TARANTISM.
TARANTISM, tar'ant-izm, _n._ an epidemic leaping or dancing mania, somewhat resembling chorea--also TAR'ENTISM.--_ns._ TARANTEL'LA, TARENTEL'LA, a lively Neapolitan dance in triplets for one couple--thought a remedy for tarantism; TARAN'TULA, TAREN'TULA, a species of spider found in South Italy, whose bite is much dreaded, and was long supposed to cause tarantism. [It. _tarantola_--_Taranto_--L. _Tarentum_, a town in South Italy where the spider abounds.]
TARATANTARA, tar-a-tan-tar'a, _n._ or _adv._ a word imitative of the sound of a trumpet.--Also TANTAR'A, TARANTAR'A.
TARAXACUM, tar-aks'a-kum, _n._ the root of the dandelion, a tonic laxative in diseases of the liver.--_n._ TARAX'ACINE, a crystallisable substance extracted from the foregoing. [A botanical Latin word, coined from Gr.