"T" Word Origins

Tamiko

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese たみこ (Tamiko).

Tamil

Origin

From the Tamil word தமிழ் (tamiḻ), the name Tamil speakers use for their own language.

tammy

Origin

Uncertain; compare obsolete French tamise (but if there was borrowing, it is unclear in which direction).

tamp

Origin

Probably a back-formation from tampin (misinterpreted as tamping), a variant of tampion.

Tampa

Origin

Unknown, likely from a Calusa word. See Tampa, Florida § Etymology for more.

tamper

Origin

From tamp ("to pack down firmly") plus the agent/frequentative suffix -er.

tampon

French

From French tampon, ultimately from a Frankish word for a stopper or plug — the same root behind "tap."

tamponade

Origin

From tampon + the medical/technical suffix -ade.

Tamsin

Origin

A medieval contraction of Thomasina, a feminine form of Thomas, revived in the UK in the twentieth century.

Tamura

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 田村 (Tamura).

tan

Old French

From Old French tan, "tanbark" (the oak bark used to cure leather), tracing back to a Gaulish word for oak. The "get a suntan" meaning came later, from the browning effect of tanning leather.

Tana

French

Etymology tree Malagasy Antananarivobor. French Tananariveclip. French Tanabor. English Tana Borrowed from French Tana.

Tanaka

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese 田(た)中(なか) (tanaka).

tandem

Latin

Borrowed from Latin tandem ("at length, finally"), humorously applied in English to horses harnessed one behind the other rather than side by side.

tandoor

Origin

Borrowed from Hindustani तंदूर (tandūr) / تندور (tandūr), from Classical Persian تنور (tannūr), from Middle Persian [script needed] (tnwl /⁠tanūr⁠/, “oven”), ultimately from Akkadian 𒋾𒂟 (tinūru), all meaning "(clay) oven". Compare also Avestan 𐬙𐬀𐬥𐬏𐬭𐬀 (tanūra). Doublet of athanor.

tandoori

Persian

From Hindustani tandūrī, describing food cooked in a tandūr (clay oven), itself from Persian.

taney

Origin

Variant of Tawney.

tang

Origin

Imitative in origin, originally describing a sharp ringing sound before extending to sharp tastes and smells.

tangent

Latin

From Latin tangens ("touching"), the present participle of tangere ("to touch").

tangerine

Origin

Named after Tangier, Morocco, the port through which the fruit was originally exported to Europe.

tangible

Late Latin

From Latin tangere ("to touch"), via Late Latin tangibilis and Middle French tangible.

Tangier

Origin

Mentioned in Ancient Greek sources as Τίγισις (Tígisis), possibly from Numidian, since it was a Numidian city. Compare Punic 𐤕𐤍𐤂 (tng).

tangle

Middle English

From Middle English tanglen, likely of North Germanic origin, related to Old Norse words for seaweed and disorder.

tango

Spanish

Borrowed from Rioplatense Spanish tango, likely originating in a West African language.

tangy

Origin

From tang ("sharp taste") + the adjective-forming suffix -y.

Tania

Russian

The name comes from Russian, as a pet form of Tatiana.

tank

Portuguese · 1915

From Portuguese tanque ("reservoir, container"), itself borrowed from an Indian language word for a cistern. The armoured-vehicle sense began in 1915 as a deliberate cover story — early prototypes were called "tanks" so they would be mistaken for water carriers.

tankard

Origin

From Middle English tan(c)kard(e), denoting 'a large tub for carrying liquid', perhaps related to Dutch tanckaert, from Middle Dutch tanckaert, meaning the same thing, but of uncertain ultimate origin. The OED suggests an alteration of Medieval Latin *kantard, from Latin cantharus (“tankard”). Klein suggests French tant quart (“as much of a quarter”). Meaning "drinking vessel" is first recorded late 15th century.

tanker

Origin

Formed from tank plus the agent suffix -er, describing a vehicle or vessel built around a tank.

tankful

Origin

From tank + -ful.

tanner

Old English

From Old English tannere, built on the verb tan plus the agent suffix -er.

tannoy

Origin

Originally a trademark belonging to Tannoy Ltd, a British maker of public address equipment; the brand name itself blended "tantalum" and "alloy", referring to a component used in their early amplifiers.

Tano

Spanish

Borrowed from Spanish Taño. This surname is mostly found in the Philippines.

tansy

Medieval Latin

From Old French tanesie, ultimately from Medieval Latin tanacetum, a word of uncertain origin possibly linked to the Greek for "immortality" — a nod to the plant's long-lasting flowers.

tantalise

Origin

From Tantalus + -ise, see tantalize.

tantalize

Origin

From Tantalus (Ancient Greek Τάνταλος (Tántalos)) in Greek mythology, who was condemned to Tartarus in the underworld. There, he had to stand for eternity in water that receded from him when he stooped to drink, beneath fruit trees whose branches were always out of reach. Derived as Tantalus + -ize.

tantamount

Italian · 1600

Borrowed in the early 1600s, most likely from Italian tanto montare ("to amount to as much"), or from an Anglo-Norman phrase with the same meaning.

tanto

Japanese

Borrowed from Japanese tantō, meaning "short sword".

tantric

Origin

Formed from tantra plus the adjective suffix -ic.

tantrum

Origin

First recorded as "tanterum"; its earlier origins are unknown.

tanuki

Japanese

From Japanese tanuki, meaning "raccoon dog".

Tanya

Russian

Borrowed from the Russian pet form of Tatiana.

Tanzania

Origin · 1964

A blend of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the two territories that merged to form Tanzania in 1964.

tao

Chinese

From the Chinese word dao, meaning "way" or "path", romanised using the older Wade-Giles system.

Taoist

Origin

Formed from Tao plus the suffix -ist.

tap

Old English

From Old English tæppa, referring to a stopper or plug used to control liquid flowing from a container — the same root that gives us "tapster", someone who draws drinks from a barrel.

tapa

Origin

] Borrowed from Tongan tapa.

tapas

Spanish

From Spanish tapas, plural of tapa ("lid, cover"), from the old custom of covering a glass of wine with a small plate of food.