Taper - Target

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Taper (?), a. [Supposed to be from taper, n., in allusion to its form.] Regularly narrowed toward the point; becoming small toward one end; conical; pyramidical; as, taper fingers.
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Taper, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tapered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tapering.] To become gradually smaller toward one end; as, a sugar loaf tapers toward one end.
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Taper, v. t. To make or cause to taper.
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Tape recorder (?), n. an electroinic device for recording and playing back sounds on magnetic tape; it often has an integrated microphone, amplifier, and speaker, and in such cases requires no additional equipment other than the magnetic tape for recording or playback.
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Tape recording (?), n. 1. a recording of sound or video on magnetic tape.
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2. the process of recording sound or video on magnetic tape.
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Tapered (?), a. Lighted with a taper or tapers; as, a tapered choir. [R.] T. Warton.
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Tapering (?), a. Becoming gradually smaller toward one end. -- Taperingly, adv.
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Taperness, n. The quality or state of being taper; tapering form; taper. Shenstone.
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Tapestry (?), n.; pl. Tapestries (#). [F. tapissere, fr. tapisser to carpet, to hang, or cover with tapestry, fr. tapis a carpet, carpeting, LL. tapecius, fr. L. tapete carpet, tapestry, Gr. �, �. Cf. , .] A fabric, usually of worsted, worked upon a warp of linen or other thread by hand, the designs being usually more or less pictorial and the stuff employed for wall hangings and the like. The term is also applied to different kinds of embroidery.
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Coloq. Tapestry carpet , a kind of carpet, somewhat resembling Brussels, in which the warp is printed before weaving, so as to produce the figure in the cloth. -- Coloq. Tapestry moth . (Zoöl.) Same as Carpet moth, under .
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Tapestry, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tapestried (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tapestrying.] To adorn with tapestry, or as with tapestry.
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The Trosachs wound, as now, between gigantic walls of rock tapestried with broom and wild roses. Macaulay.
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Tapestry beetle. A small black dermestoid beetle (Attagenus piceus) whose larva feeds on tapestry, carpets, silk, fur, flour, and various other goods.
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Tapet (?), n. [L. tapete. See .] Worked or figured stuff; tapestry. [R.] Spenser.
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Tapeti (?), n.; pl. Tapetis (#). [Braz.] (Zoöl.) A small South American hare (Lepus Braziliensis).
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Tapetum (?), n. [NL., from L. tapete a carpet, a tapestry.] (Anat.) An area in the pigmented layer of the choroid coat of the eye in many animals, which has an iridescent or metallic luster and helps to make the eye visible in the dark. Sometimes applied to the whole layer of pigmented epithelium of the choroid.
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Tapeworm (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of cestode worms belonging to Tænia and many allied genera. The body is long, flat, and composed of numerous segments or proglottids varying in shape, those toward the end of the body being much larger and longer than the anterior ones, and containing the fully developed sexual organs. The head is small, destitute of a mouth, but furnished with two or more suckers (which vary greatly in shape in different genera), and sometimes, also, with hooks for adhesion to the walls of the intestines of the animals in which they are parasitic. The larvæ (see ) live in the flesh of various creatures, and when swallowed by another animal of the right species develop into the mature tapeworm in its intestine. See Illustration in Appendix.
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☞ Three species are common parasites of man: the pork tapeworm (Tænia solium), the larva of which is found in pork; the beef tapeworm (Tænia mediocanellata), the larva of which lives in the flesh of young cattle; and the broad tapeworm (Bothriocephalus latus) which is found chiefly in the inhabitants of the mountainous regions of Europe and Asia. See also , , , and 2d , 4.
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Taphouse (?), n. A house where liquors are retailed.
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Taphrenchyma (?), n. [Gr. � a trench + enchyma, as in parenchyma.] (Bot.) Same as .
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Tapinage (?), n. [See .] A lurking or skulking. [Obs.] Gower.
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Tapioca (?), n. [Braz. tapioka: cf. Pg., Sp. & F. tapioca.] A coarsely granular substance obtained by heating, and thus partly changing, the moistened starch obtained from the roots of the cassava. It is much used in puddings and as a thickening for soups. See .
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Tapir (?), n. [Braz. tapy'ra: cf. F. tapir.] (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of large odd-toed ungulates belonging to Tapirus, Elasmognathus, and allied genera. They have a long prehensile upper lip, short ears, short and stout legs, a short, thick tail, and short, close hair. They have three toes on the hind feet, and four toes on the fore feet, but the outermost toe is of little use.
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☞ The best-known species are the Indian tapir (Tapirus Indicus), native of the East Indies and Malacca, which is black with a broad band of white around the middle, and the common American tapir (Tapirus Americanus), which, when adult, is dull brown. Several others species inhabit the Andes and Central America.
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Coloq. Tapir tiger (Zoöl.), the wallah.
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Tapiroid (?), a. [Tapir + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Allied to the tapir, or the Tapir family.
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Tapis (?), n. [F. See .] Tapestry; formerly, the cover of a council table.
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Coloq. On the tapis , or Coloq. Upon the tapis , on the table, or under consideration; as, to lay a motion in Parliament on the tapis.
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Tapis (?), v. t. To cover or work with figures like tapestry. [R.] Holland.
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Tapiser (?), n. [F. tapissier.] A maker of tapestry; an upholsterer. [R.] Chaucer.
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Tapish (?), v. i. [F. se tapir to squat.] To lie close to the ground, so as to be concealed; to squat; to crouch; hence, to hide one's self. [Written also tappis, tappish, tappice.] [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
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As a hound that, having roused a hart,
Although he tappish ne'er so soft. Chapman.
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Taplash (?), n. Bad small beer; also, the refuse or dregs of liquor. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
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The taplash of strong ale and wine. Taylor (1630).
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Taplings (?), n. pl. The strong double leathers by which the two parts of a flail are united. Halliwell.
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Tapoa tafa (?). (Zoöl.) A small carnivorous marsupial (Phascogale penicillata) having long, soft fur, and a very long tail with a tuft of long hairs at the end; -- called also brush-tailed phascogale.
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Tappen (?), n. An obstruction, or indigestible mass, found in the intestine of bears and other animals during hibernation.
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Tapper (?), n. (Zoöl.) The lesser spotted woodpecker (Dendrocopus minor); -- called also tapperer, tabberer, little wood pie, barred woodpecker, wood tapper, hickwall, and pump borer. [Prov. Eng.]
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Tappester (?), n. [See .] A female tapster. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Tappet (?), n. (Mach.) A lever or projection moved by some other piece, as a cam, or intended to tap or touch something else, with a view to produce change or regulate motion. G. Francis.
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Coloq. Tappet motion , a valve motion worked by tappets from a reciprocating part, without an eccentric or cam, -- used in steam pumps, etc.
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Tappet rod. (Mech.) A rod carrying a tappet or tappets, as one for closing the valves in a Cornish pumping engine.
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{ Tappice (?), Tappis (?) }, v. i. See .
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Tappit hen (?). 1. A hen having a tuft of feathers on her head. [Scot.] Jamieson.
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2. A measuring pot holding one quart (according to some, three quarts); -- so called from a knob on the lid, thought to resemble a crested hen. [Scot.] Jamieson.
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Tappoon (?), n. [Sp. tampón a stopper.] (Irrigation) A piece of wood or sheet metal fitted into a ditch to dam up the water so as to overflow a field. [U. S.]
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Taproom (?), n. A room where liquors are kept on tap; a barroom.
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The ambassador was put one night into a miserable taproom, full of soldiers smoking. Macaulay.
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Taproot (?), n. (Bot.) The root of a plant which penetrates the earth directly downward to a considerable depth without dividing.
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Tapster (?), n. [AS. tæppestre a female tapster. See a plug, pipe, and .] One whose business is to tap or draw ale or other liquor.
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Taqua-nut (?), n. (Bot.) A Central American name for the ivory nut.
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Tar (?), n. [Abbrev. from tarpaulin.] A sailor; a seaman. [Colloq.] Swift.
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Tar, n. [OE. terre, tarre, AS. teru, teoru; akin to D. teer, G. teer, theer, Icel. tjara, Sw. tjära, Dan. tiære, and to E. tree. √63. See .] A thick, black, viscous liquid obtained by the distillation of wood, coal, etc., and having a varied composition according to the temperature and material employed in obtaining it.
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Coloq. Coal tar . See in the Vocabulary. -- Coloq. Mineral tar (Min.), a kind of soft native bitumen. -- Coloq. Tar board , a strong quality of millboard made from junk and old tarred rope. Knight. -- Coloq. Tar water . (a) A cold infusion of tar in water, used as a medicine. (b) The ammoniacal water of gas works. -- Coloq. Wood tar , tar obtained from wood. It is usually obtained by the distillation of the wood of the pine, spruce, or fir, and is used in varnishes, cements, and to render ropes, oakum, etc., impervious to water.
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Tar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tarred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tarring.] To smear with tar, or as with tar; as, to tar ropes; to tar cloth.
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Coloq. To tar and feather a person . See under , v. t.
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Taranis (?), n. [L. taranis, from the Celtic; cf. W. & Corn. taran thunder.] (Myth.) A Celtic divinity, regarded as the evil principle, but confounded by the Romans with Jupiter.
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Tarantass (?), n. [Russ. tarantas'.] A low four-wheeled carriage used in Russia. The carriage box rests on two long, springy poles which run from the fore to the hind axletree. When snow falls, the wheels are taken off, and the body is mounted on a sledge.
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Tarantella (?), n. [It.] (Mus.) (a) A rapid and delirious sort of Neapolitan dance in 6-8 time, which moves in whirling triplets; -- so called from a popular notion of its being a remedy against the poisonous bite of the tarantula. Some derive its name from Taranto in Apulia. (b) Music suited to such a dance.
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Tarantism (?), n. [It. tarantismo: cf. F. tarentisme. See .] (Med.) A nervous affection producing melancholy, stupor, and an uncontrollable desire to dance. It was supposed to be produced by the bite of the tarantula, and considered to be incapable of cure except by protracted dancing to appropriate music. [Written also tarentism.]
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Tarantula (?), n.; pl. E. Tarantulas (#), L. Tarantulæ (#). [NL., fr. It. tarantola, fr. L. Tarentum, now Taranto, in the south of Italy.] (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of large spiders, popularly supposed to be very venomous, especially the European species (Tarantula apuliæ). The tarantulas of Texas and adjacent countries are large species of Mygale. [Written also tarentula.]
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Coloq. Tarantula killer , a very large wasp (Pompilus formosus), which captures the Texan tarantula (Mygale Hentzii) and places it in its nest as food for its young, after paralyzing it by a sting.
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Tarantulated (?), a. Bitten by a tarantula; affected with tarantism.
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Tarbogan (?), n. & v. See .
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Tarboosh (?), n. [Ar. tarb�sh; perhaps from Per. sar-posh headdress: cf. F. tarbouch.] A red cap worn by Turks and other Eastern nations, sometimes alone and sometimes swathed with linen or other stuff to make a turban. See .
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Tardation (?), n. [L. tardatio, fr. tardare, tardatum, to retard, delay, fr. tardus slow.] The act of retarding, or delaying; retardation. [Obs.]
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Tardigrada (?), n. pl. [NL. See , a.] 1. (Zoöl.) A tribe of edentates comprising the sloths. They are noted for the slowness of their movements when on the ground. See , 3.
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2. (Zoöl.) An order of minute aquatic arachnids; -- called also bear animalcules, sloth animalcules, and water bears.
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Tardigrade (?), a. [L. tardigradus; tardus slow + gradi to step: cf. F. tardigrade.] 1. Moving or stepping slowly; slow-paced. [R.] G. Eliot.
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2. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Tardigrada.
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Tardigrade, n. (Zoöl.) One of the Tardigrada.
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Tardigradous (?), a. Moving slowly; slow-paced. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
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Tardily (?), adv. In a tardy manner; slowly.
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Tardiness, n. The quality or state of being tardy.
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Tarditation (?), n. Tardiness. [Obs.]
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To instruct them to avoid all snares of tarditation, in the Lord's affairs. Herrick.
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Tardity (?), n. [L. tarditas.] Slowness; tardiness. [R.] Sir K. Digby.
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Tardo (?), a. [It.] (Mus.) Slow; -- a direction to perform a passage slowly.
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Tardo, n. [Sp., slow, L. tardus.] (Zoöl.) A sloth.
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Tardy (?), a. [Compar. Tardier (?); superl. Tardiest.] [F. tardif, fr. (assumed) LL. tardivus, fr. L. tardus slow.] 1. Moving with a slow pace or motion; slow; not swift.
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And check the tardy flight of time. Sandys.
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Tardy to vengeance, and with mercy brave. Prior.
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2. Not being inseason; late; dilatory; -- opposed to prompt; as, to be tardy in one's payments. Arbuthnot.
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The tardy plants in our cold orchards placed. Waller.
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3. Unwary; unready. [Obs.] Hudibras.
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4. Criminal; guilty. [Obs.] Collier.
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Syn. -- Slow; dilatory; tedious; reluctant. See .
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Tardy, v. t. To make tardy. [Obs.] Shak.
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Tare (?), obs. imp. of . Tore.
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Tare, n. [Cf. Prov. E. tare brisk, eager, OE. tarefitch the wild vetch.] 1. A weed that grows among wheat and other grain; -- alleged by modern naturalists to be the Lolium temulentum, or darnel.
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Didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? Matt. xiii. 27.
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The “darnel” is said to be the tares of Scripture, and is the only deleterious species belonging to the whole order. Baird.
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2. (Bot.) A name of several climbing or diffuse leguminous herbs of the genus Vicia; especially, the Vicia sativa, sometimes grown for fodder.
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Tare, n. [F. tare; cf. Pr., Sp., Pg., & It. tara; all fr. Ar. tarah thrown away, removed, fr. taraha to reject, remove.] (Com.) Deficientcy in the weight or quantity of goods by reason of the weight of the cask, bag, or whatever contains the commodity, and is weighed with it; hence, the allowance or abatement of a certain weight or quantity which the seller makes to the buyer on account of the weight of such cask, bag, etc.
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Tare, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tared (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Taring.] To ascertain or mark the tare of (goods).
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Tared (?), a. (Chem.) Weighed; determined; reduced to equal or standard weight; as, tared filter papers, used in weighing precipitates.
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Tarente (?), n. [Cf. F. tarente.] (Zoöl.) A harmless lizard of the Gecko family (Platydactylus Mauritianicus) found in Southern Europe and adjacent countries, especially among old walls and ruins.
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Tarentism (?), n. See .
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Tarentula (?), n. See .
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Targe (?), n. [F. Cf. .] A shield or target. [Obs. or Poetic] “A buckler on a targe.” Chaucer.
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Target (?), n. [OF. targette, dim. of OF. & F. targe, of Teutonic origin; cf. AS. targe, OD. targie, G. zarge a frame, case, border, OHG. zarga, Icel. targa shield.] 1. A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war.
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2. (a) A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile. (b) The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark; as, he made a good target.
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3. (Surveying) The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff.
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4. (Railroad) A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal.
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5. A thin cut; a slice; specif., of lamb, a piece consisting of the neck and breast joints. [Eng.]
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6. A tassel or pendent; also, a shred; tatter. [Obs. Scot.]
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7. A goal for an activity; as, the target of this year's fundraising drive is 2 million dollars.
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8. A metallic object toward which a beam of electrons is aimed in a tube designed to generate X-rays; when the electrons strike the target, the impact causes emission of X-rays.
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9. Any object toward which a beam of photons, a laser beam, an electron beam, or a beam of atomic or subatomic particles is aimed.
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10. A person who is the subject of criticism or ridicule.
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Target date (?), n. The date set as a goal for completion of some activity.
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Target language (?), n. the language into which a text is to be translated; -- correlative of source language.
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