Ta*tau"pa (?), n. [From the native name.] (Zoöl.) A South American
tinamou (Crypturus tataupa).
Tatch (?), n. [F. tache spot. See Techy.] A spot or stain; also, a
trick. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.
Tath (?), obs. 3d pers. sing. pres. of Ta, to take.
Tath, n. [Prov. E.; of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. ta&?; dung, ta&?;a the
grass of a manured pasture, te&?;ja to manure. √58. Cf. Ted.] 1. Dung,
or droppings of cattle. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
2. The luxuriant grass growing about the droppings of cattle in a
pasture. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Tath, v. t. To manure (land) by pasturing cattle on it, or causing them
to lie upon it. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]
Ta*tou" (?), n. [Cf. Tatouay.] (Zoöl.) The giant armadillo (Priodontes
gigas) of tropical South America. It becomes nearly five feet long
including the tail. It is noted for its burrowing powers, feeds largely
upon dead animals, and sometimes invades human graves.
Tat"ou*ay (?), n. [Of Brazilian origin; cf. Pg. tatu, F. tatou.]
(Zoöl.) An armadillo (Xenurus unicinctus), native of the tropical parts
of South America. It has about thirteen movable bands composed of
small, nearly square, scales. The head is long; the tail is round and
tapered, and nearly destitute of scales; the claws of the fore feet are
very large. Called also tatouary, and broad-banded armadillo.
Tat"ou*hou (?), n. [Cf. Tatouay.] (Zoöl.) The peba.
Tatt (?), v. t. & i. To make (anything) by tatting; to work at tatting;
as, tatted edging.
<! p. 1477 !>
||Tat"ta (?), n. [Hind. &?;a&?;&?;, tt.] A bamboo frame or trellis hung
||at a door or window of a house, over which water is suffered to
||trickle, in order to moisten and cool the air as it enters. [India]
||
Tat"ter (?), n. One who makes tatting. Caulfield & S. (Doct. of
Needlework).
Tat"ter (?), n. [Icel. tötur, töttur, pl. tötrar, &?;öttrar; cf. Norw.
totra, pl. totror, LG. taltern tatters. √240.] A rag, or a part torn
and hanging; — chiefly used in the plural.
Tear a passion to tatters, to very rags.
Shak.
Tat"ter, v. t. [p. p. Tattered (?).] To rend or tear into rags; — used
chiefly in the past participle as an adjective.
Where waved the tattered ensigns of Ragfair.
Pope.
Tat`ter*de*mal"ion (?), n. [Tatter + OF. desmaillier to break the
meshes of, to tear: cf. OF. maillon long clothes, swadding clothes, F.
maillot. See Tatter, and Mail armor.] A ragged fellow; a ragamuffin.
L'Estrange.
Tat"ting (?), n. A kind of lace made from common sewing thread, with a
peculiar stitch.
Tatting shuttle, the shuttle on which the thread used in tatting is
wound.
Tat"tle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tattled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tattling
(?).] [Akin to OE. tateren, LG. tateln, D. tateren to stammer, and
perhaps to E. titter.] 1. To prate; to talk idly; to use many words
with little meaning; to chat.
The tattling quality of age, which is always narrative.
Dryden.
2. To tell tales; to communicate secrets; to be a talebearer; as, a
tattling girl.
Tat"tle, n. Idle talk or chat; trifling talk; prate.
[They] told the tattle of the day.
Swift.
Tat"tler (?), n. 1. One who tattles; an idle talker; one who tells
tales. Jer. Taylor.
2. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of large, long-legged sandpipers
belonging to the genus Totanus.
The common American species are the greater tattler, or telltale (T.
melanoleucus), the smaller tattler, or lesser yellowlegs (T. flavipes),
the solitary tattler (T. solitarius), and the semipalmated tattler, or
willet. The first two are called also telltale, telltale spine,
telltale tattler, yellowlegs, yellowshanks, and yelper.
Tat"tler*y (?), n. Idle talk or chat; tittle-tattle.
Tat"tling (?), a. Given to idle talk; apt to tell tales. —
Tat"tling*ly, adv.
Tat*too" (?), n. [Earlier taptoo, D. taptoe; tap a tap, faucet + toe
to, shut (i. e., the taps, or drinking houses, shut from the
soldiers).] (Mil.) A beat of drum, or sound of a trumpet or bugle, at
night, giving notice to soldiers to retreat, or to repair to their
quarters in garrison, or to their tents in camp.
The Devil's tattoo. See under Devil.
Tat*too", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tattooed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tattooing.]
[Of Polynesian origin; cf. New Zealand ta to tattoo, tatu puncturation
(in Otaheite).] To color, as the flesh, by pricking in coloring matter,
so as to form marks or figures which can not be washed out.
Tat*too", n.; pl. Tattoos (&?;). An indelible mark or figure made by
puncturing the skin and introducing some pigment into the punctures; —
a mode of ornamentation practiced by various barbarous races, both in
ancient and modern times, and also by some among civilized nations,
especially by sailors.
Ta*tu" (?), n. (Zoöl.) Same as Tatou.
Ta*tu"si*id (?), n. (Zoöl.) Any armadillo of the family Tatusiidæ, of
which the peba and mule armadillo are examples. Also used adjectively.
Tau (?), n. [Gr. tay^ the letter τ (English T).] (Zoöl.) The common
American toadfish; — so called from a marking resembling the Greek
letter tau (τ).
Tau cross. See Illust. 6, of Cross.
Taught (?), a. See Taut. Totten.
Taught, imp. & p. p. of Teach. [AS. imp. thte, p. p. getht.] See Teach.
Taunt (?), a. [Cf. OF. tant so great, F. tant so much, L. tantus of
such size, so great, so much.] (Naut.) Very high or tall; as, a ship
with taunt masts. Totten.
Taunt (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Taunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Taunting.]
[Earlier, to tease; probably fr. OF. tanter to tempt, to try, for
tenter. See Tempt.] To reproach with severe or insulting words; to
revile; to upbraid; to jeer at; to flout.
When I had at my pleasure taunted her.
Shak.
Syn. — To deride; ridicule; mock; jeer; flout; revile. See Deride.
Taunt, n. Upbraiding language; bitter or sarcastic reproach; insulting
invective.
With scoffs, and scorns, and contemelious taunts.
Shak.
With sacrilegious taunt and impious jest.
Prior.
Taunt"er (?), n. One who taunts.
Taunt"ing, a. & n. from Taunt, v.
Every kind of insolent and taunting reflection.
Burke.
Taunt"ing*ly, adv. In a taunting manner.
Taunt"ress (?), n. A woman who taunts.
Taur (?), n. [L. Taurus.] The constellation Taurus. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Tau`ri*cor"nous (?), a. [L. tauricornis; taurus a bull + cornu a horn.]
(Zoöl.) Having horns like those of a bull. Sir T. Browne.
Tau`ri*dor" (?), n. [See Toreador.] A bullfighter; a toreador. Sir W.
Scott.
Tau"ri*form (?), a. [L. tauriformis; taurus a bull + -form: cf. F.
tauriforme.] Having the form of a bull.
Tau"rine (?), a. [L. taurinus, fr. taurus a bull. See Taurus.] (Zoöl.)
Of or pertaining to the genus Taurus, or cattle.
Tau"rine (?), n. [So named because it was discovered in the bile of the
ox. See Taurus.] (Physiol. Chem.) A body occurring in small quantity in
the juices of muscle, in the lungs, and elsewhere, but especially in
the bile, where it is found as a component part of taurocholic acid,
from which it can be prepared by decomposition of the acid. It
crystallizes in colorless, regular six-sided prisms, and is especially
characterized by containing both nitrogen and sulphur, being chemically
amido-isethionic acid, C2H7NSO3.
Tau`ro*cho"late (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A salt of taurocholic acid;
as, sodium taurocholate, which occurs in human bile.
Tau`ro*chol"ic (?), a. [Taurine + cholic.] (Physiol. Chem.) Pertaining
to, or designating, a conjugate acid (called taurocholic acid) composed
of taurine and cholic acid, present abundantly in human bile and in
that of carnivora. It is exceedingly deliquescent, and hence appears
generally as a thick, gummy mass, easily soluble in water and alcohol.
It has a bitter taste.
{ Tau"ro*col (?), Tau`ro*col"la (?), } n. [NL. taurocolla, fr. Gr.
tayro`kolla; tay^ros a bull + ko`lla glue: cf. F. taurocolle.] Glue
made from a bull's hide.
Tau`ro*ma"chi*an (?), a. [See Tauromachy.] Of or pertaining to
bullfights. — n. A bullfighter.
Tau*rom"a*chy (?), n. [Gr. tayromachi`a; tay^ros bull + ma`chh fight.]
Bullfighting.
||Tau"rus (t"rs), n. [L., akin to Gr. tay^ros, and E. steer. See Steer
||a young ox.] 1. (Astron.) (a) The Bull; the second in order of the
||twelve signs of the zodiac, which the sun enters about the 20th of
||April; — marked thus [] in almanacs. (b) A zodiacal constellation,
||containing the well- known clusters called the Pleiades and the
||Hyades, in the latter of which is situated the remarkably bright
||Aldebaran.
||
2. (Zoöl.) A genus of ruminants comprising the common domestic cattle.
Tau*ryl"ic (?), a. [L. taurus a bull + E. phenylic.] (Chem.) Pertaining
to, or designating, an acid found of a urine of neat cattle, and
probably identical with cresol.
Taut (?), a. [Dan. tæt; akin to E. tight. See Tight.] 1. (Naut.) Tight;
stretched; not slack; — said esp. of a rope that is tightly strained.