TACK

tack

(noun) sailing a zigzag course

tack, tacking

(noun) (nautical) the act of changing tack

sheet, tack, mainsheet, weather sheet, shroud

(noun) (nautical) a line (rope or chain) that regulates the angle at which a sail is set in relation to the wind

tack

(noun) a short nail with a sharp point and a large head

tack

(noun) the heading or position of a vessel relative to the trim of its sails

interchange, tack, switch, alternate, flip, flip-flop

(verb) reverse (a direction, attitude, or course of action)

append, tag on, tack on, tack, hang on

(verb) fix to; attach; “append a charm to the necklace”

baste, tack

(verb) sew together loosely, with large stitches; “baste a hem”

tack

(verb) fasten with tacks; “tack the notice on the board”

assemble, piece, put together, set up, tack, tack together

(verb) create by putting components or members together; “She pieced a quilt”; “He tacked together some verses”; “They set up a committee”

tack, wear round

(verb) turn into the wind; “The sailors decided to tack the boat”; “The boat tacked”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Proper noun

Tack (plural Tacks)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Tack is the 17033rd most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1668 individuals. Tack is most common among White (90.71%) individuals.

Anagrams

• ATCK, Tkac

Etymology 1

Noun

tack (countable and uncountable, plural tacks)

A small nail with a flat head.

A thumbtack.

(sewing) A loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth.

(nautical) The lower corner on the leading edge of a sail relative to the direction of the wind.

(nautical) A course or heading that enables a sailing vessel to head upwind. See also reach, gybe.

A direction or course of action, especially a new one.

(nautical) The maneuver by which a sailing vessel turns its bow through the wind so that the wind changes from one side to the other.

(nautical) The distance a sailing vessel runs between these maneuvers when working to windward; a board.

(nautical) 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.

Any of the various equipment and accessories worn by horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack.

(manufacturing, construction, chemistry) The stickiness of a compound, related to its cohesive and adhesive properties.

Food generally; fare, especially of the bread kind.

That which is attached; a supplement; an appendix.

(legal, Scotland) A contract by which the use of a thing is set, or let, for hire; a lease.

(obsolete) Confidence; reliance.

Synonyms

• (nautical maneuver): coming about

Hyponyms

• (nail-like object for affixing thin things): thumbtack

Etymology 2

Verb

tack (third-person singular simple present tacks, present participle tacking, simple past and past participle tacked)

To nail with a tack (small nail with a flat head).

To sew/stich with a tack (loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth).

(nautical) 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.

To add something as an extra item.

Often paired with "up", to place the tack on a horse.

Synonyms

• (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind): to change tack

Antonyms

• (nautical: to turn the stern through the wind): to wear

Etymology 3

Noun

tack (plural tacks)

A stain; a tache.

(obsolete) A peculiar flavour or taint.

Etymology 4

Noun

tack (uncountable)

(colloquial) That which is tacky; something cheap and gaudy.

Anagrams

• ATCK, Tkac

Source: Wiktionary


Tack, n. Etym: [From an old or dialectal form of F. tache. See Techy.]

1. A stain; a tache. [Obs.]

2. Etym: [Cf. L. tactus.]

Definition: A peculiar flavor or taint; as, a musty tack. [Obs. or Colloq.] Drayton.

Tack, n. Etym: [OE. tak, takke, a fastening; akin to D. tak a branch, twig, G. zacke a twig, prong, spike, Dan. takke a tack, spike; cf. also Sw. tagg prickle, point, Icel. tag a willow twig, Ir. taca a peg, nail, fastening, Gael. tacaid, Armor. & Corn. tach; perhaps akin to E. take. Cf. Attach, Attack, Detach, Tag an end, Zigzag.]

1. A small, short, sharp-pointed nail, usually having a broad, flat head.

2. That which is attached; a supplement; an appendix. See Tack, v. t., 3. Macaulay. Some tacks had been made to money bills in King Charles's time. Bp. Burnet.

3. (Naut.) (a) A rope used to hold in place the foremost lower corners of the courses when the vessel is closehauled (see Illust. of Ship); also, a rope employed to pull the lower corner of a studding sail to the boom. (b) The part of a sail to which the tack is usually fastened; the foremost lower corner of fore-and-aft sails, as of schooners (see Illust. of Sail). (c) The direction of a vessel in regard to the trim of her sails; as, the starboard tack, or port tack; -- the former when she is closehauled with the wind on her starboard side; hence, the run of a vessel on one tack; also, a change of direction.

4. (Scots Law)

Definition: A contract by which the use of a thing is set, or let, for hire; a lease. Burrill.

5. Confidence; reliance. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. Tack of a flag (Naut.), a line spliced into the eye at the foot of the hoist for securing the flag to the halyards.

– Tack pins (Naut.), belaying pins; -- also called jack pins.

– To haul the tacks aboard (Naut.), to set the courses.

– To hold tack, to last or hold out. Milton.

Tack, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tacked; p. pr. & vb. n. Tacking.] Etym: [Cf. OD. tacken to touch, take, seize, fix, akin to E. take. See Tack a small nail.]

1. To fasten or attach. "In hopes of getting some commendam tacked to their sees." Swift. And tacks the center to the sphere. Herbert.

2. Especially, to attach or secure in a slight or hasty manner, as by stitching or nailing; as, to tack together the sheets of a book; to tack one piece of cloth to another; to tack on a board or shingle; to tack one piece of metal to another by drops of solder.

3. In parliamentary usage, to add (a supplement) to a bill; to append; -- often with on or to. Macaulay.

4. (Naut.)

Definition: To change the direction of (a vessel) when sailing closehauled, by putting the helm alee and shifting the tacks and sails so that she will proceed to windward nearly at right angles to her former course.

Note: In tacking, a vessel is brought to point at first directly to windward, and then so that the wind will blow against the other side.

Tack, v. i. (Naut.)

Definition: To change the direction of a vessel by shifting the position of the helm and sails; also (as said of a vessel), to have her direction changed through the shifting of the helm and sails. See Tack, v. t., 4. Monk, . . . when he wanted his ship to tack to larboard, moved the mirth of his crew by calling out, "Wheel to the left." Macaulay.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 April 2024

SUBDUCTION

(noun) a geological process in which one edge of a crustal plate is forced sideways and downward into the mantle below another plate


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