taper.
A slender wax candle.
Meaning & usage
A slender wax candle.
A small light.
A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness and/or cross section in an elongated object.
the taper of a spire
The legs of the table had a slight taper to them.
The portion of an object with such a form.
ensuring the cleanliness of the taper of a machine tool spindle or of a tool shank
Ellipsis of machine taper.
A long wick or thin stick used for transferring flames to candles, now usually chemically-treated to burn particularly slowly.
A cone-shaped item for stretching the hole for an ear gauge (piercing).
Gradual reduction over time.
a drug taper
Where this word comes from
From Middle English taper, from Old English tapor (“taper, candle, wick of a lamp”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Latin papyrus (“papyrus", used in Mediaeval times to mean "wick of a candle”); If so, it is a doublet of papyrus; but compare Old French taper (“taper, slender candle or light”). Alternatively, of Celtic origin related to Irish tapar (“taper”), Welsh tampr (“a taper, torch”); further compare Sanskrit तपती (tápati, “(it) warms, gives out heat, is hot; (it) heats”). More at tepid. First attested before the 12th c.
To make thinner or narrower at one end.
To become thinner or narrower at one end.
To diminish gradually.
To tighten monetary policy.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English taper, from Old English tapor (“taper, candle, wick of a lamp”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Latin papyrus (“papyrus", used in Mediaeval times to mean "wick of a candle”); If so, it is a doublet of papyrus; but compare Old French taper (“taper, slender candle or light”). Alternatively, of Celtic origin related to Irish tapar (“taper”), Welsh tampr (“a taper, torch”); further compare Sanskrit तपती (tápati, “(it) warms, gives out heat, is hot; (it) heats”). More at tepid. First attested before the 12th c.
Tapered; narrowing to a point.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English taper, from Old English tapor (“taper, candle, wick of a lamp”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Latin papyrus (“papyrus", used in Mediaeval times to mean "wick of a candle”); If so, it is a doublet of papyrus; but compare Old French taper (“taper, slender candle or light”). Alternatively, of Celtic origin related to Irish tapar (“taper”), Welsh tampr (“a taper, torch”); further compare Sanskrit तपती (tápati, “(it) warms, gives out heat, is hot; (it) heats”). More at tepid. First attested before the 12th c.
One who operates a tape machine.
Someone who works with tape or tapes.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Old English tæppa Middle English tape English tape English -er English taper From tape + -er.
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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.