Taut hand (Naut.), a sailor's term for an officer who is severe in
discipline.
Tau`te*gor"ic*al (?), a. [Gr. &?;, for &?; &?; the same + &?; to speak.
Cf. Allegory.] Expressing the same thing with different words; —
opposed to allegorical. [R.] Coleridge.
Tau"to*chrone (?), n. [Gr. &?;, for &?; &?; the same + &?; time: cf. F.
tautochrone.] (Math.) A curved line, such that a heavy body, descending
along it by the action of gravity, will always arrive at the lowest
point in the same time, wherever in the curve it may begin to fall; as,
an inverted cycloid with its base horizontal is a tautochrone.
Tau*toch"ro*nous (?), a. (Math.) Occupying the same time; pertaining
to, or having the properties of, a tautochrone.
Tau*tog" (?), n. [The pl. of taut, the American Indian name, translated
by Roger Williams sheep's heads, and written by him tautaúog.] (Zoöl.)
An edible labroid fish (Haitula onitis, or Tautoga onitis) of the
Atlantic coast of the United States. When adult it is nearly black,
more or less irregularly barred, with greenish gray. Called also
blackfish, oyster fish, salt-water chub, and moll. [Written also
tautaug.]
Tau`to*log"ic (?), a. Tautological.
Tau`to*log"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. tautologique.] Involving tautology;
having the same signification; as, tautological expression. —
Tau`to*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
Tautological echo, an echo that repeats the same sound or syllable many
times.
Tau*tol"o*gist (?), n. One who uses tautological words or phrases.
Tau*tol"o*gize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Tautologized (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Tautologizing (?).] To repeat the same thing in different words.
Tau*tol"o*gous (?), a. [Gr. &?;; &?;, for &?; &?; the same + &?; to
speak.] Repeating the same thing in different words; tautological. [R.]
Tooke.
Tau*tol"o*gy (?), n. [L. tautologia, Gr. &?;: cf. F. tautologie.]
(Rhet.) A repetition of the same meaning in different words; needless
repetition of an idea in different words or phrases; a representation
of anything as the cause, condition, or consequence of itself, as in
the following lines: —
The dawn is overcast, the morning lowers, And heavily in clouds brings
on the day.
Addison.
Syn. — Repetition. — Tautology, Repetition. There may be frequent
repetitions (as in legal instruments) which are warranted either by
necessity or convenience; but tautology is always a fault, being a
sameness of expression which adds nothing to the sense or the sound.
Tau`to*mer"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Relating to, or characterized by,
tautomerism.
Tau*tom"er*ism (?), n. [Gr. &?;; &?;, for &?; &?; the same + &?; part.]
(Chem.) The condition, quality, or relation of metameric substances, or
their respective derivatives, which are more or less interchangeable,
according as one form or the other is the more stable. It is a special
case of metamerism; thus, the lactam and the lactim compounds exhibit
tautomerism.
{ Tau`to*ou"si*an (?), Tau`to*ou"si*ous (?), } a. [Gr. &?;; &?;, for
&?; &?; the same + &?; being, essence.] Having the same essence; being
identically of the same nature. [R.] Cudworth.
Tau`to*phon"ic*al (?), a. Pertaining to, or characterized by,
tautophony; repeating the same sound.
Tau*toph"o*ny (?), n. [Gr. &?;; &?;, for &?; &?; the same + &?; voice.]
Repetition of the same sound.
Tau`to*zon"al (?), a. [Gr. &?;; &?;, for &?; &?; the same + E. zonal.]
(Crystallog.) Belonging to the same zone; as, tautozonal planes.
Tav"ern (?), n. [OE. taverne, F. taverne, from L. taberna a hut, booth,
tavern. Cf. Table, Tabernacle.] A public house where travelers and
other transient guests are accomodated with rooms and meals; an inn; a
hotel; especially, in modern times, a public house licensed to sell
liquor in small quantities.
Tav"ern*er (?), n. [F. tavernier, L. tabernarius.] One who keeps a
tavern. Chaucer. Camden.
Tav"ern*ing, n. A feasting at taverns. [Obs.] "The misrule of our
tavernings." Bp. Hall.
Tav"ern*man (?), n.; pl. Tavernmen (&?;). The keeper of a tavern; also,
a tippler. [Obs.]
Taw (?), n. Tow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Taw, v. t. [Cf. Tew to tow, Tow, v. t.] To push; to tug; to tow. [Obs.]
Drayton.
Taw (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tawed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Tawing.] [OE.
tawen, tewen, AS. twian to prepare; cf. D. touwen, Goth. twa order,
taujan to do, and E. tool. √64. Cf. 1st Tew, Tow the coarse part of
flax.] 1. To prepare or dress, as hemp, by beating; to tew; hence, to
beat; to scourge. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
2. To dress and prepare, as the skins of sheep, lambs, goats, and kids,
for gloves, and the like, by imbuing them with alum, salt, and other
agents, for softening and bleaching them.
Taw, n. [Cf. AS. tw instrument.] 1. A large marble to be played with;
also, a game at marbles.
2. A line or mark from which the players begin a game of marbles.
[Colloq. U. S.]
Taw"dri*ly (?), adv. In a tawdry manner.
Taw"dri*ness, n. Quality or state of being tawdry.
A clumsy person makes his ungracefulness more ungraceful by tawdriness
of dress.
Richardson.
Taw"dry (?), a. [Compar. Tawdrier (?); superl. Tawdriest.] [Said to be
corrupted from Saint Audrey, or Auldrey, meaning Saint Ethelreda,
implying therefore, originally, bought at the fair of St. Audrey, where
laces and gay toys of all sorts were sold. This fair was held in Isle
Ely, and probably at other places, on the day of the saint, which was
the 17th of October.] 1. Bought at the festival of St. Audrey. [Obs.]
And gird in your waist, For more fineness, with a tawdry lace.
Spenser.
2. Very fine and showy in colors, without taste or elegance; having an
excess of showy ornaments without grace; cheap and gaudy; as, a tawdry
dress; tawdry feathers; tawdry colors.
He rails from morning to night at essenced fops and tawdry courtiers.
Spectator.
Taw"dry, n.; pl. Tawdries (&?;). A necklace of a rural fashion, bought
at St. Audrey's fair; hence, a necklace in general. [Obs.]
Of which the Naiads and the blue Nereids make Them tawdries for their
necks.
Drayton.
Taw"er (?), n. One who taws; a dresser of white leather.
Taw"er*y (?), n. A place where skins are tawed.
Taw"ni*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being tawny.
Taw"ny (?), a. [Compar. Tawnier (?); superl. Tawniest.] [F. tanné, p.
p. of tanner to tan. See Tan, v. t. & n. Cf. Tenné.] Of a dull
yellowish brown color, like things tanned, or persons who are sunburnt;
as, tawny Moor or Spaniard; the tawny lion. "A leopard's tawny and
spotted hide." Longfellow.
Taws (?), n. [See Taw to beat.] A leather lash, or other instrument of
punishment, used by a schoolmaster. [Written also tawes, tawis, and
tawse.] [Scot.]
Never use the taws when a gloom can do the turn.
Ramsay.
Tax (?), n. [F. taxe, fr. taxer to tax, L. taxare to touch, sharply, to
feel, handle, to censure, value, estimate, fr. tangere, tactum, to
touch. See Tangent, and cf. Task, Taste.] 1. A charge, especially a
pecuniary burden which is imposed by authority. Specifically: —
(a) A charge or burden laid upon persons or property for the support of
a government.
A farmer of taxes is, of all creditors, proverbially the most
rapacious.
Macaulay.
(b) Especially, the sum laid upon specific things, as upon polls,
lands, houses, income, etc.; as, a land tax; a window tax; a tax on
carriages, and the like. Taxes are annual or perpetual, direct or
indirect, etc.
(c) A sum imposed or levied upon the members of a society to defray its
expenses.
2. A task exacted from one who is under control; a contribution or
service, the rendering of which is imposed upon a subject.
3. A disagreeable or burdensome duty or charge; as, a heavy tax on time
or health.