tar
Tar is a dark, thick and sticky liquid with a sharp smell.
(noun)An example of tar is what is normally used to fill cracks in roads.
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See tar in Webster's New World College Dictionary
noun
- a thick, sticky, brown to black liquid with a pungent odor, obtained by the destructive distillation of wood, coal, peat, shale, etc.: tars are composed of hydrocarbons and their derivatives, and are used for protecting and preserving surfaces, in making various organic compounds, etc.
- loosely any of the solids in smoke, as from tobacco
Origin: ME terre < OE teru < PGmc *terw(i)a-, substance from trees < IE base *deru-, tree
adjective
- of or like tar
- covered with tar; tarred
noun
Informal a sailor
Origin: < tar(paulin)
See tar in American Heritage Dictionary 4
noun
- A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat.
- Coal tar.
- A solid residue of tobacco smoke containing byproducts of combustion.
To coat with or as if with tar.
Origin:
Origin: Middle English
Origin: , from Old English teru; see deru- in Indo-European roots
.noun
Informal
A sailor.
Origin:
Origin: Possibly short for tarpaulin
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