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tan·ner¹

(tănər)

1. One that tans hides.

2. A self-tanner.

tan¹

(tăn)

v. tanned, tan·ning, tans

v.tr.

1. To convert (an animal hide) into leather by subjecting it to a chemical process that stabilizes the proteins, making it less susceptible to decay.

a. To make (a person or a person's skin) darker by exposure to the sun.

b. To make (a person or a person's skin) darker by exposure to artificial sunlight or by the application of certain chemicals, often in the form of sprays or lotions.

3. Informal To thrash; beat.

v.intr.

To become darker from exposure to the sun or artificial sunlight, or from the application of certain chemicals.

1. A light or moderate yellowish brown to brownish orange.

a. A suntan.

b. An artificially created suntan.

3. Tanbark.

a. Tannin.

b. A solution derived from tannin.

adj. tan·ner, tan·nest

1. Light or moderate yellowish-brown to brownish-orange.

2. Having a suntan or the appearance of a suntan.

3. Used in or relating to tanning.

[Middle English tannen, from Old English *tannian, from Medieval Latin tannāre, from tannum, tanbark, probably of Celtic origin.]

tannish adj.

tan·ner²

(tănər)

n.
Chiefly British

A sixpenny coin formerly used in Britain; a sixpence.

[Origin unknown.]

Tan·ner

(tănər), Henry Ossawa 1859-1937.

American artist best known for The Banjo Lesson (1893) and for his later paintings and etchings of religious scenes.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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