tan

/tæn/

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Word: Tan

Part of Speech: - Adjective - Noun - Verb

Basic Meanings:

1. Adjective:

   • "Tan" describes a light yellowish-brown color. For example, you might say, "The walls of the room are painted a soft tan."

2. Noun:

   • As a noun, "tan" can refer to the color itself, like "She wore a tan jacket."
   • In geometry, "tan" is short for tangent, which is a ratio in a right-angled triangle. Specifically, it is the ratio of the length of the side opposite an angle to the length of the adjacent side.

3. Verb:

   • To "tan" means to get a tan, which is when your skin turns brown from being in the sun. For example, "I like to tan at the beach during summer."
   • It can also mean to treat animal skins with tannic acid to make leather, as in "They tan the hides to make shoes."

Usage Instructions:

• Use "tan" as an adjective to describe color in clothing, furniture, or nature.
• Use "tan" as a noun when talking about skin color or the geometric concept.
• Use "tan" as a verb when discussing skin exposure to the sun or the process of making leather.

Examples:

• Adjective: "The tan sofa matches the beige carpet."
• Noun: "She has a nice tan after spending a week at the beach."
• Verb: "I hope to tan a little before our vacation."

Advanced Usage:

• In mathematics, you might hear, "The tan of a 45-degree angle is 1."
• In fashion, a "tan" color might be considered neutral and versatile.

Word Variants:

• Tanned (adjective): Describes skin that has been darkened by sun exposure. "His skin is tanned from his time outdoors."
• Tanning (noun): The process of becoming tanned or the activity of tanning skin. "Tanning is popular in summer."

Different Meanings:

• "Tan" can refer to both a color and a process (either of skin or leather).
• In mathematics, it has a specific definition related to angles and triangles.

Synonyms:

• For the color tan: beige, brown, light brown.
• For the verb tan (to darken skin): sunbathe, bronze.
• For the leather treatment: cure, process.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "Get a tan": To become tanned from sun exposure. Example: "I plan to get a tan before the summer ends."
• "Tan one's hide": An informal phrase meaning to punish someone. Example: "If he skips school again, his parents will tan his hide."

Summary:

The word "tan" can describe a color, refer to a skin condition from sun exposure, or denote a process in leather-making.

Academic

Adjective

1. of a light yellowish-brown color

Noun

1. ratio of the opposite to the adjacent side of a right-angled triangle
2. a light brown the color of topaz
3. a browning of the skin resulting from exposure to the rays of the sun

Verb

1. get a tan, from wind or sun
2. treat skins and hides with tannic acid so as to convert them into leather

Synonyms

• tangent
• topaz
• suntan
• sunburn
• burn
• bronze