TACT

tact, tactfulness

(noun) consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offense

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

tact (countable and uncountable, plural tacts)

The sense of touch; feeling. [from 1650s]

(music) The stroke in beating time.

Sensitive mental touch; special skill or faculty; keen perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances; the ability to say the right thing. [from early 19th c.]

Synonyms: sensitivity, consideration, diplomacy, tactfulness

(slang) Clipping of tactic.

(psychology) A verbal operant which is controlled by a nonverbal stimulus (such as an object, event, or property of an object) and is maintained by nonspecific social reinforcement (praise).

Verb

tact (third-person singular simple present tacts, present participle tacting, simple past and past participle tacted)

(psychology) To use a tact (a kind of verbal operant; see noun sense).

Anagrams

• Catt

Source: Wiktionary

Tact, n. Etym: [L. tactus a touching, touch, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tact. See Tangent.]

1. The sense of touch; feeling. Did you suppose that I could not make myself sensible to tact as well as sight Southey. Now, sight is a very refined tact. J. Le Conte.

2. (Mus.)

Definition: The stroke in beating time.

3. Sensitive mental touch; peculiar skill or faculty; nice perception or discernment; ready power of appreciating and doing what is required by circumstances. He had formed plans not inferior in grandeur and boldness to those of Richelieu, and had carried them into effect with a tact and wariness worthy of Mazarin. Macaulay. A tact which surpassed the tact of her sex as much as the tact of her sex surpassed the tact of ours. Macaulay.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition