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tarred

 - 4 dictionary results

tar

1  [tahr] ,noun, verb, tarred, tar⋅ring, adjective
Use tarred in a Sentence
–noun
1. any of various dark-colored viscid products obtained by the destructive distillation of certain organic substances, as coal or wood.
2. coal-tar pitch.
3. smoke solids or components: cigarette tar.
–verb (used with object)
4. to smear or cover with or as if with tar.
–adjective
5. of or characteristic of tar.
6. covered or smeared with tar; tarred.
—Idioms
7. beat, knock, or whale the tar out of, Informal. to beat mercilessly: The thief had knocked the tar out of the old man and left him for dead.
8. tar and feather,
a. to coat (a person) with tar and feathers as a punishment or humiliation.
b. to punish severely: She should be tarred and feathered for what she has done.
9. tarred with the same brush, possessing the same shortcomings or guilty of the same misdeeds: The whole family is tarred with the same brush.
Origin:
bef. 900; (n.) ME tarr(e), ter(re), OE teru; c. D, G teer, ON tjara; akin to tree; (v.) ME terren, OE tierwian, deriv. of the n.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tar 1   (tär)   
n.  

  1. A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat.

  2. Coal tar.

  3. A solid residue of tobacco smoke containing byproducts of combustion.

tr.v.   tarred, tar·ring, tars
To coat with or as if with tar.

[Middle English, from Old English teru; see deru- in Indo-European roots.]
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

tar  (n.1)
a viscous liquid, O.E. teoru, teru, lit. "the pitch of (certain kinds of) trees," from P.Gmc. *terwo- (cf. O.N. tjara, O.Fris. tera, M.Du. tar, Du. teer, Ger. Teer), probably a derivation of *trewo-, from PIE *drew- "tree" (cf. Skt. daru "wood;" Lith. darva "pine wood;" Gk. dory "beam, shaft of a spear," drys "tree, oak;" Goth. triu, O.E. treow "tree;" see tree). Tar baby is from an 1881 "Uncle Remus" story by Joel Chandler Harris. Tarheel for "North Carolina resident" first recorded 1864, probably from the gummy resin of pine woods. Tar water, an infusion of tar in cold water, was popular as a remedy from c.1740 through late 18c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tar
Pronunciation: 'tär
Function: noun
1 : any of various dark brown or black bituminous usually odorous viscous liquids obtained bydestructive distillation of organic material (as wood, coal, or peat); especially : one used medicinally tar —The Medicine Show> —see JUNIPER TAR
2 : a substance in some respects resembling tar; especially : a condensable residue present in smoke from burning tobacco that contains combustion by-products (as resins, acids, phenols,and essential oils)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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