Tar

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Tar, n. [Abbrev. from tarpaulin.].

 A sailor; a seaman.  Swift.  [1913 Webster]

Tar, n. [OE. terre, tarre, AS. teru, teoru; akin to D. teer, G. teer, theer, Icel. tjara, Sw. tjära, Dan. tiære, and to E. tree. √63. See Tree.].

 A thick, black, viscous liquid obtained by the distillation of wood, coal, etc., and having a varied composition according to the temperature and material employed in obtaining it.  [1913 Webster]

Coal tar. See in the Vocabulary. -- Mineral tar (Min.), a kind of soft native bitumen. -- Tar board, a strong quality of millboard made from junk and old tarred rope. Knight. -- Tar water. (a) A cold infusion of tar in water, used as a medicine. (b) The ammoniacal water of gas works. -- Wood tar, tar obtained from wood. It is usually obtained by the distillation of the wood of the pine, spruce, or fir, and is used in varnishes, cements, and to render ropes, oakum, etc., impervious to water.

Tar, v. t. 

 To smear with tar, or as with tar; as, to tar ropes; to tar cloth.  [1913 Webster]

To tar and feather a person. See under Feather, v. t.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Tar, n. & v.
--n.
1 a dark thick inflammable liquid distilled from wood or coal etc. and used as a preservative of wood and iron, in making roads, as an antiseptic, etc.
2 a similar substance formed in the combustion of tobacco etc.
--v.tr. (tarred, tarring) cover with tar.

Idiom

tar and feather smear with tar and then cover with feathers as a punishment. tar-brush a brush for applying tar. tarred with the same brush having the same faults.

Tar, n. colloq. a sailor.

Etymology

abbr. of TARPAULIN

THESAURUS

Tar

AB, Amytal, Amytal pill, Ancient Mariner, Argonaut, Demerol, Dolophine, Dylan, Flying Dutchman, H, Luminal, Luminal pill, M, Mickey Finn, Nembutal, Nembutal pill, Neptune, OD, Poseidon, Seconal, Seconal pill, Tuinal, Tuinal pill, Varuna, able seaman, able-bodied seaman, alcohol, amobarbital sodium, analgesic, anodyne, asphalt, barb, barbiturate, barbiturate pill, bedaub, besmear, besmirch, black stuff, blacktop, blue, blue angel, blue devil, blue heaven, blue velvet, bluejacket, buccaneer, butter, calmative, carpet, causeway, cement, charcoal, chloral hydrate, coal, coat, cobblestone, codeine, codeine cough syrup, concrete, crow, dab, daub, deep-sea man, defile, depressant, depressor, discolor, dolly, downer, ebon, ebony, enamel, fair-weather sailor, fisherman, flag, floor, gild, gloss, goofball, hard stuff, hearty, heroin, hop, horse, hypnotic, ink, jack, jack afloat, jack-tar, jacky, jet, junk, knockout drops, lacquer, laudanum, lay on, limey, liquor, lobsterman, lotus, mariner, matelot, meperidine, metal, methadone, morphia, morphine, narcotic, navigator, night, opiate, opium, pacifier, pain killer, paregoric, pave, pebble, pen yan, phenobarbital, phenobarbital sodium, pirate, pitch, prime, privateer, purple heart, quietener, rainbow, raven, red, sailor, salt, scag, sea dog, sea rover, seafarer, seafaring man, seaman, secobarbital sodium, sedative, shipman, shit, slap on, slather, sleep-inducer, sleeper, sleeping draught, sleeping pill, sloe, smack, smear, smear on, smoke, smut, sodium thiopental, soil, somnifacient, soot, soother, soothing syrup, soporific, spread on, spread with, stain, sully, tarnish, tarpaulin, tranquilizer, turps, undercoat, viking, water dog, whaler, white stuff, windjammer, windsailor, yellow, yellow jacket

ROGET THESAURUS

Tar

Covering

VB cover, superpose, superimpose, overlay, overspread, wrap, encase, incase, face, case, veneer, pave, paper, tip, cap, bind, bulkhead, bulkhead in, clapboard, coat, paint, varnish, pay, incrust, stucco, dab, plaster, tar, wash, besmear, bedaub, anoint, do over, gild, plate, japan, lacquer, lacker, enamel, whitewash, parget, lay it on thick, overlie, overarch, endome, conceal, anodize, galvanize.

Mariner

N sailor, mariner, navigator, seaman, seafarer, seafaring man, dock walloper, tar, jack tar, salt, able seaman, A, B, man-of-war's man, bluejacket, galiongee, galionji, marine, jolly, midshipman, middy, skipper, shipman, boatman, ferryman, waterman, lighterman, bargeman, longshoreman, bargee, gondolier, oar, oarsman, rower, boatswain, cockswain, coxswain, steersman, pilot, crew, aerial navigator, aeronaut, balloonist, Icarus, aeroplanist, airman, aviator, birdman, man-bird, wizard of the air, aviatrix, flier, pilot, test pilot, glider pilot, bush pilot, navigator, flight attendant, steward, stewardess, crew, astronaut, cosmonaut, parachutist, paratrooper.

Resin

N resin, rosin, gum, lac, sealing wax, amber, ambergris, bitumen, pitch, tar, asphalt, asphaltum, camphor, varnish, copal, mastic, magilp, lacquer, japan, artificial resin, polymer, ion-exchange resin, cation-exchange resin, anion exchange resin, water softener, Amberlite, Dowex, Diaion, resiny, resinous, bituminous, pitchy, tarry, asphaltic, asphaltite.

Calefaction

N calefaction, increase of temperature, heating, calefaction, tepefaction, torrefaction, melting, fusion, liquefaction, burning, ambustion, combustion, incension, accension, concremation, cremation, scorification, cautery, cauterization, ustulation, calcination, cracking, refining, incineration, cineration, carbonization, cupellation, ignition, inflammation, adustion, flagration, deflagration, conflagration, empyrosis, incendiarism, arson, auto dafe, boiling, coction, ebullition, estuation, elixation, decoction, ebullioscope, geyser, distillation (vaporization), furnace, blanket, flannel, fur, wadding, clothing, still, refinery, fractionating column, fractionating tower, cracking tower, match, incendiary, petroleuse, cauterizer, caustic, lunar caustic, alkali, apozem, moxa, acid, aqua fortis, aqua regia, catheretic, nitric acid, nitrochloro-hydric acid, nitromuriatic acid, radioactivity, gamma rays, alpha particles, beta rays, X-rays, radiation, cosmic radiation, background radiation, radioactive isotopes, tritium, uranium, plutonium, radon, radium, sunstroke, coup de soleil, insolation, pottery, ceramics, crockery, porcelain, china, earthenware, stoneware, pot, mug, terra cotta, brick, clinker, cinder, ash, scoriae, embers, soot, slag, coke, carbon, charcoal, wood alcohol, turpentine, tea tree oil, gasoline, kerosene, naptha, fuel oil (fuel), wax, paraffin, residue, tar, inflammability, combustibility, diathermancy, transcalency, conduction, convection, radiation, radiant heat, heat conductivity, conductivity, thermal expansion, coefficient of expansion, heated, molten, sodden, r_echauff_e, heating, adust, inflammable, combustible, diathermal, diathermanous, burnt, volcanic, radioactive.