tan

tan¹ [tæn] v past tense and past participle tanned present participle tanning

[Date: 900-1000; : Old French; Origin: tanner, from Medieval Latin tannare, from tanum; TAN²]

1.) [I and T]

if you tan, or if the sun tans you, your skin becomes darker because you spend time in the sun

▪ She has a pale skin which doesn't tan easily.

2.) [T]

to make animal skin into leather by treating it with ↑tannin (=a kind of acid)

tan ²

tan² n

[Sense: 1-2; Date: 1600-1700; : French; Origin: Medieval Latin tanum 'plant substance used for tanning leather']

[Sense: 3; Origin: tangent]

1.)

the attractive brown colour that someone with pale skin gets after they have been in the sun

= ↑suntan

▪ I wish I could get a tan like that.

2.) [U]

a light yellowish-brown colour

tan ³

tan³ adj

1.) having a light yellowish-brown colour

▪ tan shoes

2.) AmE having darker skin after spending time in the sun

= ↑tanned

▪ She arrived home tan and rested.