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tame

 - 3 dictionary results

tame

  [teym] ,adjective, tam⋅er, tam⋅est, verb, tamed, tam⋅ing.
Use tame in a Sentence
–adjective
1. changed from the wild or savage state; domesticated: a tame bear.
2. without the savageness or fear of humans normal in wild animals; gentle, fearless, or without shyness, as if domesticated: That lion acts as tame as a house cat.
3. tractable, docile, or submissive, as a person or the disposition.
4. lacking in excitement; dull; insipid: a very tame party.
5. spiritless or pusillanimous.
6. not to be taken very seriously; without real power or importance; serviceable but harmless: They kept a tame scientist around.
7. brought into service; rendered useful and manageable; under control, as natural resources or a source of power.
8. cultivated or improved by cultivation, as a plant or its fruit.
–verb (used with object)
9. to make tame; domesticate; make tractable.
10. to deprive of courage, ardor, or zest.
11. to deprive of interest, excitement, or attractiveness; make dull.
12. to soften; tone down.
13. to harness or control; render useful, as a source of power.
14. to cultivate, as land or plants.
–verb (used without object)
15. to become tame.
Origin:
bef. 900; (adj.) ME; OE tam; c. D tam, G zahm, ON tamr; (v.) ME tamen, deriv. of the adj.; r. ME temen to tame, OE temian, deriv. of tam; c. ON temja, Goth gatamjan; akin to L domāre to tame

Related forms:
tamely, adverb
tameness, noun
tamer, noun

Synonyms:
3. meek, subdued. 4. flat, empty, vapid, boring, tedious, uninteresting. 5. cowardly, dastardly. 9. break, subdue. 12. calm, mollify.

Antonyms:
1. wild.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To tame
tame   (tām)   
adj.   tam·er, tam·est

  1. Brought from wildness into a domesticated or tractable state.

  2. Naturally unafraid; not timid: "The sea otter is gentle and relatively tame" (Peter Matthiessen).

  3. Submissive; docile; fawning: tame obedience.

  4. Insipid; flat: a tame Christmas party.

  5. Sluggish; languid; inactive: a tame river.

tr.v.   tamed, tam·ing, tames

  1. To make tractable; domesticate.

  2. To subdue or curb.

  3. To tone down; soften.


[Middle English, from Old English tam; see demə- in Indo-European roots.]
tam'a·ble, tame'a·ble adj., tame'ly adv., tame'ness n., tam'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tame  (adj.)
O.E. tom, tam "domesticated, docile," from P.Gmc. *tamaz (cf. O.N. tamr, O.S., O.Fris., M.L.G., M.Du. tam, O.H.G. zam, Ger. zahm "tame," Goth. tamjan "to tame"), from PIE *deme- "to constrain, to force, to break (horses)" (cf. Skt. damayati "tames;" Pers. dam "a tame animal;" Gk. daman "to tame, subdue," dmetos "tame;" L. domare "to tame, subdue;" O.Ir. damnaim "I tie up, fasten, I tame, subdue"). Possible ulterior connection with PIE *dem- "house, household" (see domestic). Meaning "spiritless, weak, dull" is recorded from 1602. The verb is M.E. teme, from O.E. temian "make tame;" form altered 14c. by infl. of the adj.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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