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tarpaulin

 - 3 dictionary results

tar⋅pau⋅lin

[tahr-paw-lin, tahr-puh-lin]
–noun
1. a protective covering of canvas or other material waterproofed with tar, paint, or wax.
2. a hat, esp. a sailor's, made of or covered with such material.
3. Rare. a sailor.

Origin:
1595–1605; earlier tarpauling. See tar 1 , pall 1 , -ing 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tar·pau·lin   (tär-pô'lĭn, tär'pə-)   
n.  
  1. Material, such as waterproofed canvas, used to cover and protect things from moisture.

  2. A sheet of this material.


[Probably alteration of tar1 + pall1 + -ing2.]
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

tarpaulin 
1605, from tar (n.1) + palling, from pall "heavy cloth covering" (see pall (n.)); probably so called because the canvas is sometimes coated in tar to make it waterproof.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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