tan.
A light, brown-like colour.
Meaning & usage
A light, brown-like colour.
A darkening of the skin resulting from exposure to sunlight or similar light sources.
She still has a tan from her vacation in Mexico.
I'm hoping to get a tan this weekend at the beach.
The bark of an oak or other tree from which tannic acid is obtained.
Synonym of wall ball.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English tan, from Old French tan (“tanbark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“green oak”) – compare Breton tann (“red oak”), Old Cornish tannen –, from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰonu (“fir”). Per this hypothesis, related to Hittite [script needed] (tanau, “fir”), Latin femur, genitive feminis (“thigh”), German Tann (“woods”), Tanne (“fir”), Albanian thanë (“cranberry bush”), Ancient Greek θάμνος (thámnos, “thicket”), Avestan 𐬚𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 (θanuuar^ə), Sanskrit धनु (dhánu).
Yellowish-brown.
a tan suit
Mine is the white car parked next to the tan pickup truck.
Having dark skin as a result of exposure to the sun or an artificial process intended to mimic this effect.
You’re looking very tan this week.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English tan, from Old French tan (“tanbark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“green oak”) – compare Breton tann (“red oak”), Old Cornish tannen –, from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰonu (“fir”). Per this hypothesis, related to Hittite [script needed] (tanau, “fir”), Latin femur, genitive feminis (“thigh”), German Tann (“woods”), Tanne (“fir”), Albanian thanë (“cranberry bush”), Ancient Greek θάμνος (thámnos, “thicket”), Avestan 𐬚𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 (θanuuar^ə), Sanskrit धनु (dhánu).
To change to a tan colour due to exposure to the sun.
No matter how long I stay out in the sun, I never tan, though I do burn.
To change an animal hide into leather by soaking it in tannic acid.
To work as a tanner.
To spank or beat.
Where this word comes from
As a verb, from Middle English tannen, from late Old English tannian (“to tan a hide”), from Latin tannare.
The second cardinal number two, formerly used in Celtic areas, especially Cumbria and parts of Yorkshire, for counting sheep, and stitches in knitting.
Where this word comes from
From a Brythonic language; influenced in form by yan (“one”) in the same series.
An Armenian drink made of yoghurt and water similar to airan and doogh
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Armenian թան (tʻan).
Synonym of picul, particularly in Cantonese contexts.
Where this word comes from
Borrowed from Cantonese 擔／担 (daam3).
A twig or small switch.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English *tan, from Old English tān (“twig, shoot, switch”), from Proto-West Germanic *tain, from Proto-Germanic *tainaz (“rod, twig, straw, lot”).
To kill by gun, to shoot.
Where this word comes from
It may either be a figurative use of the usual verb tan (“to cause to acquire a brownish colour”) or a Jamaican Creole pronunciation of turn, compare bun (“to kill particularly by gunshot”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.