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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.
00:10
Tame
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
verb (used without object)
15.
to become tame.
Origin:
before 900; (adj.) Middle English; Old English tam; cognate with Dutch tam, German zahm, Old Norse tamr; (v.) Middle English tamen, derivative of the adj.; replacing Middle English temen to tame, Old English temian, derivative of tam; cognate with Old Norse temja, Gothic gatamjan; akin to Latin domāre to tame
before 900; (adj.) Middle English; Old English tam; cognate with Dutch tam, German zahm, Old Norse tamr; (v.) Middle English tamen, derivative of the adj.; replacing Middle English temen to tame, Old English temian, derivative of tam; cognate with Old Norse temja, Gothic gatamjan; akin to Latin domāre to tame
Related forms
tame·ly, adverb
tame·ness, noun
tam·er, noun
o·ver·tame, adjective
o·ver·tame·ly, adverb
o·ver·tame·ness, noun
un·tame, adjective
un·tame·ly, adverb
un·tame·ness, noun
un·tamed, adjective
well-tamed, adjective
Synonyms
3. meek, subdued. 4. flat, empty, vapid, boring, tedious, uninteresting. 5. cowardly, dastardly. 9. break, subdue. 12. calm, mollify.
3. meek, subdued. 4. flat, empty, vapid, boring, tedious, uninteresting. 5. cowardly, dastardly. 9. break, subdue. 12. calm, mollify.
Antonyms
1. wild.
1. wild.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To tame
Collins
World English Dictionary
tame (teɪm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | changed by man from a naturally wild state into a tractable, domesticated, or cultivated condition |
| 2. | (of animals) not fearful of human contact |
| 3. | lacking in spirit or initiative; meek or submissive: a tame personality |
| 4. | flat, insipid, or uninspiring: a tame ending to a book |
| 5. | slow-moving: a tame current |
| —vb | |
| 6. | to make tame; domesticate |
| 7. | to break the spirit of, subdue, or curb |
| 8. | to tone down, soften, or mitigate |
| [Old English tam; related to Old Norse tamr, Old High German zam] | |
| 'tamable | |
| —adj | |
| 'tameable | |
| —adj | |
| tama'bility | |
| —n | |
| tamea'bility | |
| —n | |
| 'tamableness | |
| —n | |
| 'tameableness | |
| —n | |
| 'tameless | |
| —adj | |
| 'tamely | |
| —adv | |
| 'tameness | |
| —n | |
| 'tamer | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
tame
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Another scientist found a nesting ptarmigan so tame it could be picked up and held.
The bad news is that both candidates look as if they mean to tame the deficit using mostly tax rises instead of spending cuts.
Coastal populations of the western scrub-jays are confiding, tame, and easily seen.
They become tame and unafraid of people and live on nothing but bread.
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