Dictionary

tack en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• /tæk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English tak, takke (“hook; staple; nail”), from Old Northern French taque (“nail, pin, peg”), from Frankish *takkō (“twig, branch, shoot”), of unknown origin, but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dHgʰ-n-, from the root *déHgʰ- (“to pinch; to tear, rip, fray”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Takke (“bough; branch; twig”), West Frisian takke (“branch”), tûk (“branch, smart, sharp”), Dutch tak (“twig; branch; limb”), German Zacke (“jag; prong; spike; tooth; peak”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A small nail with a flat head.
   • A tough test for even the strongest climber, it was new to the Tour de France this year, but its debut will be remembered for the wrong reasons after one of those spectators scattered carpet tacks on the road and induced around 30 punctures among the group of riders including Bradley Wiggins, the Tour's overall leader, and his chief rivals. 2012 July 15, Richard Williams, “Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot put Bradley Wiggins off track”, in The Guardian:
2. (countable, uncountable) A thumbtack.
3. (countable, uncountable) A loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth.
4. (countable, uncountable) The lower corner on the leading edge of a sail relative to the direction of the wind.
5. (countable, uncountable) A course or heading that enables a sailing vessel to head upwind.
6. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) A direction or course of action, especially a new one; a method or approach to solving a problem.
   • ‘I know it all right,’ Big Bil snarled, ‘but knowing and proving are two different tacks.’ 1960, J. E. Macdonnell, Don't Gimme the Ships, Melbourne: Horwitz Publications, page 124:
   • So stoutly held to tack by those near North-wales men; 1612, Michael Drayton, chapter 11, in [John Selden], editor, Poly-Olbion. Or A Chorographicall Description of Tracts, Riuers, Mountaines, Forests, and Other Parts of this Renowned Isle of Great Britaine, […], London: […] [Humphrey Lownes] for M[athew] Lownes; I[ohn] Browne; I[ohn] Helme; I[ohn] Busbie, →OCLC:
   • When even cautious German politicians are questioning Nato’s ‘war-mongering’ actions, it’s clear that a new tack is required 2016 June 19, Mary Dejevsky, “Isolating Russia isn’t working. The west needs a new approach”, in The Guardian:
   • Maud Gonne’s letter about taking them off O’Connell street at night: disgrace to our Irish capital. Griffith’s paper is on the same tack now: an army rotten with venereal disease: overseas or halfseasover empire. 1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[V]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC:
   • I thought that my refusing Barnard would alienate Botha, and decided that such a tack was too risky. 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, London: Abacus, published 2010, page 637:
7. (countable, uncountable) The maneuver by which a sailing vessel turns its bow through the wind so that the wind changes from one side to the other.
8. (countable, uncountable) The distance a sailing vessel runs between these maneuvers when working to windward; a board.
9. (countable, uncountable) A rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corners of the courses when the vessel is close-hauled; also, a rope employed to pull the lower corner of a studding sail to the boom.
10. (countable, uncountable) Any of the various equipment and accessories worn by horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals.
11. (countable, uncountable) The stickiness of a compound, related to its cohesive and adhesive properties.
    • The laminate adhesive has very aggressive tack and is hard to move once in place.
    • Letterpress and offset gloss varnishes normally have viscosities varying from 50 to 250 poises; they must stain the paper as little as possible, have insufficient tack to cause plucking, […] 1959, E. A. Apps, Printing Ink Technology, page 415:
12. (countable, uncountable) Food generally; fare, especially of the hard bread or breadlike kind.
    • But if a woman's got nothing but her fair fame to feed on, why, it's thin tack, and a donkey would die of it! 1913, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, Sons and Lovers, London: Duckworth & Co. […], →OCLC:
    • Near-synonyms: biscuit, bread
13. (countable, uncountable) That which is attached; a supplement; an appendix.
    • pay all taxes and subscribe tacks 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
    • Some tacks had been made to money bills in King Charles's time. a. 1716 (date written), [Gilbert] Burnet, edited by [Gilbert Burnet Jr.], Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] Thomas Ward […], published 1724, →OCLC:
14. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Confidence; reliance.
    • He should find[…]that there was tack in it, that it was solid silver, or silver that had strength in it. 1651-1666, Joseph Caryl, Exposition of Job with Practical Observations:

Forms

Coordinates

pushpin

Deriveds

tacksman · get down to brass tacks · tackless · on the tack · sharp as a tack · tack claw · tacklifter · tack lifter · bartack · hold tack · untack · false tack · up tack · Blu-Tack · tackify · tack room · down tack · tackboard · thumbtack · change of tack · tie tack · tintack · sit on a tack · tack weld · switch tack · detack · coffin tack · short-tack · tacker · hardtack

Synonyms

biscuit · coming about (nautical maneuver) · bread

Translations (124)

es rumbo (nautical: course or heading) · fi nupi (small nail) · da kurs (course of action) · fr écoute (nautical: rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corner of the sail) · de Pinnnadel (small nail) · fr virement lof pour lof (nautical: maneuver) · wa haernaxhmint (any equipment worn by horse) · da klæbrighed (chemistry: stickiness) · de Stoßnadel (small nail) · ru курс (course of action) · it bulletta (small nail) · fr harnachement (any equipment worn by horse) · fi kurssi (course of action) · fi tahmeus (chemistry: stickiness) · fi halssi (nautical: rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corner of the sail) · de Wende (nautical: maneuver) · bg маниер (course of action) · de Wendemanöver (nautical: maneuver) · fr adhérence (chemistry: stickiness) · ru галс (nautical: maneuver) · bg прийом (course of action) · cs směr plavby (nautical: course or heading) · pl zwrot na wiatr (nautical: maneuver) · ru гво́здик (small nail) · gl aparello (any equipment worn by horse) · ru кле́йкость (chemistry: stickiness) · fr clou semence (small nail) · fa میخ (small nail) · ca rumb (course of action) · ca embasta (loose seam) · es hilván (loose seam) · apw kee bił odalkalí (small nail) · el πρόκα (small nail) · ota لكنده (loose seam) · de Kurs (course of action) · fi satulointi (any equipment worn by horse) · bg кабър (small nail) · ja 馬具 (any equipment worn by horse) · wa atelêye (any equipment worn by horse) · ca tatxa (small nail) · de Lederzeug (any equipment worn by horse) · mi tui rangitahi (loose seam) · he נעץ (small nail) · fi valjaat (any equipment worn by horse) · bg галс (nautical: maneuver) · fr pégosité (chemistry: stickiness) · eo halso (nautical: lower corner of the leading edge of a sail) · cs metoda (course of action) · de Sattel- und Zaumzeug (any equipment worn by horse) · pl zwrot przez sztag (nautical: maneuver) · it puntina (small nail) · ru ли́пкость (chemistry: stickiness) · de Am-Wind-Kurs (nautical: course or heading) · tr teyel (loose seam) · es curso (nautical: course or heading) · gu ચૂંક (small nail) · bg метод (course of action) · izh venta (nautical: maneuver) · de Pinne (small nail) · pdt Pligj (small nail) · wa haerna (any equipment worn by horse) · da hals (nautical: lower corner of the leading edge of a sail) · mi pine (small nail) · ca rumb (nautical: course or heading) · fi vastakäännös (nautical: maneuver) · nl kopspijker (small nail) · fi harsinta (loose seam) · ru намётка (loose seam) · mi whakaripiripi (nautical: course or heading) · bg похват (course of action) · hu lószerszám (any equipment worn by horse) · nl overstag gaan (nautical: maneuver) · fr cap (course of action) · eo najleto (small nail) · dsb gózdźik (small nail) · es mostacilla (small nail) · ca gavarrot (small nail) · ru кно́пка (small nail) · ru клёпка (small nail) · de Marschroute (course of action) · wa haernas (any equipment worn by horse) · de Reißzwecke (small nail) · ru стежо́к (loose seam) · mi take (nautical: lower corner of the leading edge of a sail) · ru галс (nautical: course or heading) · hi कील (small nail) · fi suunta (course of action) · ca orientació (course of action) · wa atelêyes (any equipment worn by horse) · cs hřebíček (small nail) · es tachuela (small nail) · bg тропоска (loose seam) · fi venda (nautical: maneuver) · fi luovi (nautical: course or heading) · de Hals (nautical: rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corner of the sail) · da halsbarm (nautical: lower corner of the leading edge of a sail) · cs křižování (nautical: maneuver) · sv kurs (course of action) · es curso de acción (course of action) · bo གཟེར་ནག (small nail) · fi etukulma (nautical: lower corner of the leading edge of a sail) · de Vorgehensweise (course of action) · ko 택 (nautical: course or heading) · sv nubb (small nail) · he מכלב (loose seam) · grc ἡλάριον (small nail) · it chiodino (small nail) · fi halssikulma (nautical: lower corner of the leading edge of a sail) · bg курс (nautical: course or heading) · ru сбру́я (any equipment worn by horse) · cs způsob (course of action) · fr petit clou (small nail) · cs přístup (course of action) · bg лепливост (chemistry: stickiness) · de Hals (nautical: lower corner of the leading edge of a sail) · fr harnais (any equipment worn by horse) · de Verfahrensweise (course of action) · bg амуниция (any equipment worn by horse) · da tegnestift (small nail) · de Heftnaht (loose seam) · da rining (loose seam) · es virar (nautical: maneuver) · la versōria (nautical: rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corner of the sail) · de Klebrigkeit (chemistry: stickiness)

tack en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• /tæk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English takken (“to attach; nail”), from the noun (see above).

Meanings

1. (transitive) To nail (something) with a tack (small nail with a flat head).
   • The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. At one end of it a colored poster, too large for indoor display, had been tacked to the wall. 1949 June 8, George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC, Part I, Chapter I:
2. To sew/stitch with a tack (loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth).
3. To weld with initial small welds to temporarily fasten in preparation for full welding.
4. To maneuver a sailing vessel so that its bow turns through the wind, i.e. the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other.
5. (intransitive) To sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks across the wind.
6. To add something as an extra item.
   • In short, they tend to present Indian English as nothing more than "standard" English with a select collection of lexical peculiarities tacked on, as it were, many of which would be regarded as "errors" by prescriptivist language scholars. 2012, James Lambert, “Beyond Hobson-Jobson: A new lexicography for Indian English”, in World Englishes, page 312:
   • to tack (something) onto (something)
7. Synonym of tack up (“to prepare a horse for riding by equipping it with a tack”).
8. (obsolete, slang) To join in wedlock.

Forms

Antonyms

wear · run · gybe

Coordinates

sail close to the wind

Deriveds

tack down · tack about · retack · tack up · short-tack · tack on · tack together

Relateds

tacky · Blu-Tack

Synonyms

tack weld · tack up · beat · change tack

Translations (64)

de heften (to nail with tacks) · es prender (to nail with tacks) · ru прикрепля́ть (to nail with tacks) · lb fooschen (to stitch) · mi whakaripi (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · sv vända genom vinden (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · nrf vither (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · cs připnout (to nail with tacks) · nb slå (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · ru лави́ровать (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · bg тропосвам (to stitch) · fi kiinnittää nupeilla (to nail with tacks) · hu lavíroz (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · da slå (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · de aufsatteln (to tack up a horse) · fi liittää kylkiäiseksi (to add onto, to tack one thing onto another) · nl overstag gaan (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · pl lawirować (nautical: to sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks) · de anpinnen (to nail with tacks) · cs obracet proti větru (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · fi valjastaa (to tack up a horse) · de heften (to stitch) · ota طاقمق (to nail with tacks) · mi pūnotinoti (to stitch) · fr clouer (to nail with tacks) · el καρφώνω (to nail with tacks) · fr empiler (to add onto, to tack one thing onto another) · cs obracet přes příď (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · fi harsia (to stitch) · pl halsować (nautical: to sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks) · fi tehdä venda (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · mi waihape (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · nrf lôvier (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · fi satuloida (to tack up a horse) · fi vendata (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · el τρυπώνω (to stitch) · ca embastar (to stitch) · fr virer de bord (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · cs obrátit proti větru (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · he פָּקַם (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · de aufzäumen (to tack up a horse) · bg добавям (to add onto, to tack one thing onto another) · cs připíchnout (to nail with tacks) · el διαδρομώ (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · es hilvanar (to stitch) · bg закрепвам (to nail with tacks) · nrf couôrre (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · bg сменям галса (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · sv nubba (to nail with tacks) · de anzwecken (to nail with tacks) · es sujetar con tachuelas (to nail with tacks) · cs křižovat (nautical: to sail to windward using a series of alternate tacks) · de anhängen (to add onto, to tack one thing onto another) · cs přichytit (to nail with tacks) · fi kursia (to stitch) · fr louvoyer (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · fi tehdä vastakäännös (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · fi luovia (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · mi whakaripiripi (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · bg закачам (to nail with tacks) · cs obrátit přes příď (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · de wenden (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · es voltejear (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind) · sv göra slag (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind)

tack en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• /tæk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From an old or dialectal form of French tache. See techy. Doublet of tache.

Meanings

1. A stain; a tache.
2. (obsolete) A peculiar flavour or taint.
   • a musty tack

Forms

tack en · NOUN · etymology 4

Pronunciation

• /tæk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

Back-formation from tacky.

Meanings

1. (colloquial, uncountable) That which is tacky; something cheap and gaudy.
   • For souvenirs – mostly outright tack and ethnicky textiles – try your bargaining skills at the shops and stalls on Binjiang Luand Zhengyang Jie, or the nightly street market spreading for about a block either side of Shanhu Bridge along Zhongshan Lu. 2014, David Leffman, The Rough Guide to China:

Synonyms

cheapie · tawdry · ticky-tack · gaud · cheapie · tawdry · tack · cheapo

tack en · NOUN · etymology 5

Pronunciation

• /tæk/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From Middle English tak, take (“fee, tax (on livestock)”), from Old Norse tak, taka (“a taking, seizure; revenue”), from Old Norse taka (“to take”). Cognate with Scots tack.

Meanings

1. (Northern-England, Scotland) A contract by which the use of a thing is set, or let, for hire; a lease.
   • In the Breadalbane papers, for example, there is a "tack" which was given by Sir John Campbell of Glenurchy to his "weil belouit" servant John M'Conoquhy V'Gregour, in the year 1530. 1885, Lord Colin Campbell, The Crofter in History:

Forms

Relateds

tick tack · tick-tack-toe · tick-tack