tan: Meaning and Definition of

tan

Pronunciation: (tan), [key]
— v., n., adj., tanned, tan•ning, tan•ner, tan•nest.
—v.t.
  1. to convert (a hide) into leather, esp. by soaking or steeping in a bath prepared from tanbark or synthetically.
  2. to make brown by exposure to ultraviolet rays, as of the sun.
  3. to thrash; spank.
—v.i.
  1. to become tanned.
  2. to beat someone soundly: She threatened to tan our hides if she found us on her property again.
—n.
  1. the brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun or open air.
  2. yellowish brown; light brown.
  3. tanbark.
—adj.
  1. of the color of tan; yellowish-brown.
  2. used in or relating to tanning processes, materials, etc.

tan

Pronunciation: (tan), [key]
— n.
  1. tangent (def. 5b).

Tan

Pronunciation: (tan), [key]
  1. born 1952, U.S. novelist.

TAN

Pronunciation: (tan), [key]
— n.
  1. tax-anticipation note.

tan−1

Pronunciation: [key]
— Symbol, Trig.
  1. arc tangent.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also:
  • tan (Thesaurus)