From Middle English tan, from Old French tan (“tanbark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“green oak”) – compare Breton tann (“red oak”), Old Cornish tannen –, from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰonu (“fir”). Per this hypothesis, related to Hittite [script needed] (tanau, “fir”), Latin femur, genitive feminis (“thigh”), German Tann (“woods”), Tanne (“fir”), Albanian thanë (“cranberry bush”), Ancient Greek θάμνος (thámnos, “thicket”), Avestan 𐬚𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 (θanuuar^ə), Sanskrit धनु (dhánu).
Meanings
Yellowish-brown.
The history of suits in politics is long and storied: from Obama’s “shocking” tan suit, now infamous enough to have its own Wikipedia page, […]. 2026 January 2, Jad Salfiti, “What Zohran Mamdani’s suit tells us about the man and the way society is changing”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
Mine is the white car parked next to the tan pickup truck.
a tan suit
Having dark skin as a result of exposure to the sun or an artificial process intended to mimic this effect.
From Middle English tan, from Old French tan (“tanbark”), from Gaulish *tannos (“green oak”) – compare Breton tann (“red oak”), Old Cornish tannen –, from Proto-Celtic *tannos (“green oak”), of uncertain origin, but perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰonu (“fir”). Per this hypothesis, related to Hittite [script needed] (tanau, “fir”), Latin femur, genitive feminis (“thigh”), German Tann (“woods”), Tanne (“fir”), Albanian thanë (“cranberry bush”), Ancient Greek θάμνος (thámnos, “thicket”), Avestan 𐬚𐬀𐬥𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 (θanuuar^ə), Sanskrit धनु (dhánu).
Meanings
A light, brown-like colour.
A darkening of the skin resulting from exposure to sunlight or similar light sources.
I'm hoping to get a tan this weekend at the beach.
She still has a tan from her vacation in Mexico.
The bark of an oak or other tree from which tannic acid is obtained.
In two pints of water boil one ounce of tan, and a like portion of nutgall till reduced to a pint. 1848, John Hannett, Bibliopegia, or, The Art of Bookbinding in all its branches, page 65:
nv dinilgai (colour) · nl bronzen (darkening of the skin) · uk сма́га (darkening of the skin) · ro bronz (darkening of the skin) · fr hâle (darkening of the skin) · hy արեւայրուք (darkening of the skin) · es moreno (darkening of the skin) · it corteccia (bark of tree) · cy lliw haul (darkening of the skin) · pt bronzeado (darkening of the skin) · id sawo matang (colour) · hu napbarnítottság (darkening of the skin) · ga crón (colour) · de Bräune (darkening of the skin) · hu lesülés (darkening of the skin) · ca embruniment (darkening of the skin) · bg тен (darkening of the skin) · pl opalenizna (darkening of the skin) · scn abbrunzatura (darkening of the skin) · de Sonnenbräune (darkening of the skin) · sh put (darkening of the skin) · es tostado (colour) · hu lebarnulás (darkening of the skin) · fi rusketus (darkening of the skin) · ru све́тло-кори́чневый (colour) · io tano (bark of tree) · pt pardo (colour) · bg жълтокафяв (colour) · ca colrament (darkening of the skin) · es tostado (darkening of the skin) · es bronce (colour) · cs opálení (darkening of the skin) · uk зага́р (darkening of the skin) · es corteza de roble (bark of tree) · fi kellanruskea (colour) · fi parkki (bark of tree) · cmn 曬成褐色 /晒成褐色 (darkening of the skin) · fa مازویی (colour) · hu sárgásbarna (colour) · scn scorcia (bark of tree) · bg загар (darkening of the skin) · sv solbränna (darkening of the skin) · fr tan (bark of tree) · ca escorça (bark of tree) · hu cser (bark of tree) · lv dzeltenbrūna krāsa (colour) · cy barc (bark of tree) · ca bronze (colour) · lv iedegums (darkening of the skin) · ru зага́р (darkening of the skin) · cmn 曬黑 /晒黑 (darkening of the skin) · cmn 棕黄色 (colour) · rgn abrunẓadùra (darkening of the skin) · gl bronceado (darkening of the skin) · sv bränna (darkening of the skin) · es bronceado (darkening of the skin) · it abbronzatura (darkening of the skin) · bg танин (bark of tree) · lv miecmizas (bark of tree) · cy rhisgl mâl (bark of tree) · vi nâu tanin (colour) · ja 日に焼ける (darkening of the skin) · scn bronzu (colour) · lt gelsvai ruda (colour) · uk смага́ (darkening of the skin) · nl bruinen (darkening of the skin) · fr bronzage (darkening of the skin) · es corteza tánica (bark of tree) · sk opálenie (darkening of the skin) · ca bronzat (darkening of the skin) · ro bronzare (darkening of the skin) · uk засма́га (darkening of the skin) · ko 갈색 (colour) · gl bronceada (darkening of the skin) · gl torrado (colour) · nl gebruinde kleur (colour) · da solbrændt (darkening of the skin) · cmn 棕褐色 (colour) · cy melynddu (colour) · lt įdegti (darkening of the skin)
pt bronzear (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · io bruneskar (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · de walken (to turn animal hide into leather) · da blive brun (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · bg дъбя (to turn animal hide into leather) · wa rayi (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · sv garva (to turn animal hide into leather) · bg щавя (to turn animal hide into leather) · cs zhnědnout (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ca assaonar (to turn animal hide into leather) · de gerben (to turn animal hide into leather) · wa bronzer (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · io tanagar (to turn animal hide into leather) · ja 日焼けする (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · cy troi'n frown (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ko 무두질하다 (to turn animal hide into leather) · it conciare (to turn animal hide into leather) · tr bronzlaşmak (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · tr sepilemek (to turn animal hide into leather) · cs vyčinit (to turn animal hide into leather) · pt curtir (to turn animal hide into leather) · no brune (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · lv iedegt (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · mi whakarongoā (to turn animal hide into leather) · el μαυρίζω (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · no sole (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · uk дуби́ти (to turn animal hide into leather) · de in der Sonne baden (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · de bräunen (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · eo sunbruniĝi (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · cmn 鞣制 (to turn animal hide into leather) · hu lebarnul (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · cmn 鞣 (to turn animal hide into leather) · pl opalać się (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · cy cael lliw haul (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · nl looien (to turn animal hide into leather) · lv miecēt (to turn animal hide into leather) · ro tăbăci (to turn animal hide into leather) · cs činit (to turn animal hide into leather) · wa håler (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · cs vydělávat (to turn animal hide into leather) · ko 타다 (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · nl tanen (to turn animal hide into leather) · lb gierwen (to turn animal hide into leather) · io bronzizar (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ar دَبَغَ (to turn animal hide into leather) · sl strojiti (to turn animal hide into leather) · tr yanmak (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · es curtir (to turn animal hide into leather) · eu larru jo (to turn animal hide into leather) · hu cserez (to turn animal hide into leather) · ja 鞣す (to turn animal hide into leather) · cy barcio (to turn animal hide into leather) · es broncearse (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · fr bronzer (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · fr tanner (to turn animal hide into leather) · el αργάζω (to turn animal hide into leather) · yi גאַרבן (to turn animal hide into leather) · tr tabaklamak (to turn animal hide into leather) · ja なめす (to turn animal hide into leather) · fi ruskettua (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · vi thuộc (to turn animal hide into leather) · az yanmaq (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · gl broncear (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · it abbronzarsi (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · pl opalić się (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ro se bronza (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · is garfa (to turn animal hide into leather) · ru дуби́ть (to turn animal hide into leather) · eo tani (to turn animal hide into leather) · cs vydělat (to turn animal hide into leather) · ru загоре́ть (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · eo bruniĝi (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · is súta (to turn animal hide into leather) · bg загарям (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ru загора́ть (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · nl leerlooien (to turn animal hide into leather) · ko 그을다 (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ru вы́дубить (to turn animal hide into leather) · nl bruinen (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · fi parkita (to turn animal hide into leather) · wa taener (to turn animal hide into leather) · gl curtir (to turn animal hide into leather) · hu lesül (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · fa دباغی (to turn animal hide into leather) · da garve (to turn animal hide into leather) · ca embrunir (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · az qaralmaq (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · pl garbować (to turn animal hide into leather) · id menyamak (to turn animal hide into leather) · ca colrar (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · cy cyffeithio (to turn animal hide into leather) · ca bronzar (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · wa bruni (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ar اِسْمَرَّ (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ca torrar (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · sv sola (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ga cart (to turn animal hide into leather) · ms samak (to turn animal hide into leather) · ro argăsi (to turn animal hide into leather) · sk opaľovať sa (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · sk opáliť sa (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ja 日に焼ける (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · ca adobar (to turn animal hide into leather) · cs opálit se (to become tan due to exposure to sun) · cy trin (to turn animal hide into leather)
From a Brythonic language; influenced in form by yan (“one”) in the same series.
Meanings
(dialectal, rare) The second cardinal number two, formerly used in Celtic areas, especially Cumbria and parts of Yorkshire, for counting sheep, and stitches in knitting.
From Middle English *tan, from Old English tān (“twig, shoot, switch”), from Proto-West Germanic *tain, from Proto-Germanic *tainaz (“rod, twig, straw, lot”).
It may either be a figurative use of the usual verb tan (“to cause to acquire a brownish colour”) or a Jamaican Creole pronunciation of turn, compare bun (“to kill particularly by gunshot”).
Meanings
(Multicultural-London-English, slang, transitive) To kill by gun, to shoot.
Step on the wing, see an opp and I'll whack it
Do it like Super Savage
Who's the yute I Jet-Li-rise that dots and tan him (whoosh)
Rise that dots and tan him 2019 September 29, Moscow17, “All For The Cause”: