tat

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tat"

Translingual

Symbol

tat

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Tatar.

See also

• Wiktionary's coverage of Tatar terms

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tæt/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æt

Etymology 1

From Hindi टाट (ṭāṭ, “thick canvas”).

Noun

tat (countable and uncountable, plural tats)

1. (uncountable, British) Cheap and vulgar tastelessness; sleaze.
2. (uncountable, British) Cheap, tasteless, useless goods; trinkets.

   tourist tat

   • 2004 May 28, Thomas Sutcliffe, “Why Britart is a burning issue”, in The Independent‎^[1]:

     And it agreed with the editorial cartoon which featured a newsman doing a live report in front of a smouldering building and saying, "And it seems millions of pounds of meaningless tat has been lost to the nation for ever."

3. (countable, India) Gunny cloth made from the fibre of the Corchorus olitorius (jute).

Translations

vulgar tastelessness — see sleaze

Etymology 2

Unknown. Perhaps the same as etymology 1, above, or perhaps a back-formation from tatting. Attested since the 19th century.

Verb

tat (third-person singular simple present tats, present participle tatting, simple past and past participle tatted)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To make (something by) tatting.

Translations

to produce by tatting

• Finnish: käpyillä

References

• “tatting, n.1.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, March 2013.

Etymology 3

From Hindi टट्टू (ṭaṭṭū, “pony”).

Alternative forms

• tattoo, tatt

Noun

tat (plural tats)

1. (India, archaic) A pony.
   • 1879, Val Cameron Prinsep, Glimpses of Imperial India, page 206:

     And so each morning before daybreak I am up, and having dispatched my luggage on the backs of coolies after much noise and bustle, without which no natives can work, I mount my tat as the sun begins to touch the higher hills, and start on my morning ride of twelve miles.

Etymology 4

Clipping of tattoo; see further etymology there.

Noun

tat (plural tats)

1. (slang) A tattoo.

Derived terms

• knuckle-tat

Verb

tat (third-person singular simple present tats, present participle tatting, simple past and past participle tatted)

1. (slang, transitive) To apply a tattoo.
   • 2016 May 5, Fifth Harmony, “Write on Me”, 7/27, Epic Records, Sysco Music

     Write on me / Love the way you tat me up

Derived terms

• tat up

Translations

slang: tattoo — see tattoo

Etymology 5

Noun

tat (plural tats)

1. (UK, gambling, slang, archaic) Alternative form of tatt (“a die, especially one that is loaded”)

Etymology 6

Noun

tat (plural tats)

1. Alternative form of tatty (“kind of woven mat or screen”)

Etymology 7

Noun

tat (plural tats)

1. Some small thing, especially that which is exchanged tit for tat.
   • 1920, The Creighton Chronicle, page 294:

     The article seems an attempt at tit-for-tat; but there is too little tat, even in Bedouins, to provoke such a maze of tit as is found in “'Bedouins' and Nomads.”

   • 1999 May 18, D. Reisman, Conserative Capitalism: The Social Economy, Springer, →ISBN, page 122:

     [...] insecurity, anger engender the excessive retaliation of two tits for a tat that leads not to damping-down but to [escalation].

   • 2002 May 1, G.H. Spaulding, C-C-Cold War Syndrome Or, Remember, It's Break Ground and Fly into the Wind, AuthorHouse, →ISBN:

     At the U.S. planning sessions, it was not uncommon to hear someone say, "Just remember, when you're negotiating tit-for-tat, it's better to concede the occasional small tat to your opponent and keep the big tits for yourself."

   • 2006 08, Michael Riggs, Edicts of Ares: 13 Absolute Rules of Warfare, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 112:

     Not tit-for-tat, but more like ten tits for every tat.

   • 2011 March 20, Thunderhead, The Sacred Clown, Thunderhead, →ISBN, page 475:

     “Yeah...and a tiny little tat of a bottle of Grinness on his ankle...” As they rode, a warm-front chased the clouds away and the direct sun and warming air began to melt the snow.

   • 2012 April 17, Gerald L'Ange, The White Africans: From Colonisation To Liberation, Jonathan Ball Publishers, →ISBN:

     If that was a lot of tit for a little tat it didn't bother the French. In the absence of any firm policy in Paris, the military commanders in Algeria began promoting French settlement.

   • (Can we date this quote?), Pamela Morsi, Suburban Renewal, Oliver-Heber books:

     "Why don't you two sit out on the porch while I clean up this little tat of dishes," Gram said. Corrie argued for a minute, but Gram shooed her away and reluctantly we found ourselves alone on the porch swing.

   • 2021 June 29, Alexandra Ivy, Guardians of Eternity Bundle 2, Zebra, →ISBN:

     A little tit for a little tat. He just wanted to get his damned tit so he could be done with the nasty tat. There was an odd shimmer among the shadows, then the outline of Briggs appeared, his crimson eyes glowing like the pits of hell.

See also

• rat-a-tat-tat
• tit for tat
• tatt
• tatting
• tatty

Anagrams

• AT&T, att, att., at&t

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [taːt]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːt
• Homophone: Tat

Verb

tat

1. first/third-person singular preterite of tun

Hungarian

Etymology

From Proto-Uralic *tuktɜ, *tukta (“cross-beam”). Cognate with Finnish tuhto (“thwart (of a ship)”), Komi-Zyrian тік (tik, “cross wood, cross bar”), and Tym Southern Selkup тати (tati, “thwart (of a ship)”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈtɒt]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tat
• Rhymes: -ɒt

Noun

tat (plural tatok)

1. (nautical) stern (the rear part or after end of a ship or vessel)

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	tat	tatok
accusative	tatot	tatokat
dative	tatnak	tatoknak
instrumental	tattal	tatokkal
causal-final	tatért	tatokért
translative	tattá	tatokká
terminative	tatig	tatokig
essive-formal	tatként	tatokként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	tatban	tatokban
superessive	taton	tatokon
adessive	tatnál	tatoknál
illative	tatba	tatokba
sublative	tatra	tatokra
allative	tathoz	tatokhoz
elative	tatból	tatokból
delative	tatról	tatokról
ablative	tattól	tatoktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	taté	tatoké
non-attributive possessive - plural	tatéi	tatokéi

Possessive forms of tat
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	tatom	tatjaim
2nd person sing.	tatod	tatjaid
3rd person sing.	tatja	tatjai
1st person plural	tatunk	tatjaink
2nd person plural	tatotok	tatjaitok
3rd person plural	tatjuk	tatjaik

Further reading

• tat in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Hunsrik

Adverb

tat (Wiesemann spelling)

1. Alternative spelling of dart

Lenakel

Adjective

tat

1. bad

References

• John Lynch, Lenakel wordlist. (1970)

Maltese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taːt/

Verb

tat

1. third-person feminine singular perfect of ta

Mopan Maya

Noun

tat

1. father

References

• Hofling, Charles Andrew (2011). Mopan Maya–Spanish–English Dictionary, University of Utah Press.

Northern Kurdish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɑːt/

Noun

tat f (Arabic spelling تات)

1. boulder, large rock, cliff, crag, precipice
2. stone slab

References

• Chyet, Michael L. (2003) “tat”, in Kurdish–English Dictionary‎^[2], with selected etymologies by Martin Schwartz, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, page 597

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *taitaz (“serene, tender”). Cognate with Old Norse teitr.

Adjective

tāt

1. glad, cheerful

Romansch

Etymology

Compare Latin tata, a childish word for father.

Noun

tat m (plural tats)

1. (Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran) grandfather

Synonyms

• (Puter) non
• (Vallader) bazegner, bapsegner

Related terms

• tatta

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *tatь (“thief”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tât/

Noun

tȁt m (Cyrillic spelling та̏т)

1. (expressively) thief

Declension

Declension of tat

	singular	plural
nominative	tȁt	tàtovi
genitive	tata	tatova
dative	tatu	tatovima
accusative	tata	tatove
vocative	tate	tatovi
locative	tatu	tatovima
instrumental	tatom	tatovima

Further reading

• “tat”, in Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2024

Slovene

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *tatь.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tát/

Noun

tȁt m anim

1. thief

Further reading

• “tat”, in Slovarji Inštituta za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša ZRC SAZU (in Slovene), 2014–2024

Swedish

Phrase

tat

1. (colloquial) Pronunciation spelling of "ta det" (take it).

   Synonym: tare

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish طات (tat, dat), from Proto-Turkic *tāt-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tat/

Noun

tat (definite accusative tadı, plural tatlar)

1. taste

Declension

Inflection
Nominative	tat
Definite accusative	tadı
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	tat	tatlar
Definite accusative	tadı	tatları
Dative	tada	tatlara
Locative	tatta	tatlarda
Ablative	tattan	tatlardan
Genitive	tadın	tatların
Possessive forms Nominative Singular Plural 1st singular tadım tatlarım 2nd singular tadın tatların 3rd singular tadı tatları 1st plural tadımız tatlarımız 2nd plural tadınız tatlarınız 3rd plural tatları tatları Definite accusative Singular Plural 1st singular tadımı tatlarımı 2nd singular tadını tatlarını 3rd singular tadını tatlarını 1st plural tadımızı tatlarımızı 2nd plural tadınızı tatlarınızı 3rd plural tatlarını tatlarını Dative Singular Plural 1st singular tadıma tatlarıma 2nd singular tadına tatlarına 3rd singular tadına tatlarına 1st plural tadımıza tatlarımıza 2nd plural tadınıza tatlarınıza 3rd plural tatlarına tatlarına Locative Singular Plural 1st singular tadımda tatlarımda 2nd singular tadında tatlarında 3rd singular tadında tatlarında 1st plural tadımızda tatlarımızda 2nd plural tadınızda tatlarınızda 3rd plural tatlarında tatlarında Ablative Singular Plural 1st singular tadımdan tatlarımdan 2nd singular tadından tatlarından 3rd singular tadından tatlarından 1st plural tadımızdan tatlarımızdan 2nd plural tadınızdan tatlarınızdan 3rd plural tatlarından tatlarından Genitive Singular Plural 1st singular tadımın tatlarımın 2nd singular tadının tatlarının 3rd singular tadının tatlarının 1st plural tadımızın tatlarımızın 2nd plural tadınızın tatlarınızın 3rd plural tatlarının tatlarının

Verb

tat

1. second-person singular imperative of tatmak

Turkmen

Etymology

From historical name used for non-Turkic people.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tʰat/

Noun

tat (definite accusative [please provide], plural tatlar)

1. (derogatory) Turkmens from tribes or regions culturally influenced by Uzbeks or Persians, or Turkmens speaking a dialect with foreign features and no vowel length distinction.
2. (dated) non-Turkmens
3. (rare) Tats, an ethnic minority in North Khorasan

Veps

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

tat

1. father, dad

Inflection

Inflection of tat (inflection type 5/sana)
nominative sing.	tat
genitive sing.	tatan
partitive sing.	tatad
partitive plur.	tatoid
	singular	plural
nominative	tat	tatad
accusative	tatan	tatad
genitive	tatan	tatoiden
partitive	tatad	tatoid
essive-instructive	tatan	tatoin
translative	tataks	tatoikš
inessive	tatas	tatoiš
elative	tataspäi	tatoišpäi
illative	tataha tatha	tatoihe
adessive	tatal	tatoil
ablative	tatalpäi	tatoilpäi
allative	tatale	tatoile
abessive	tatata	tatoita
comitative	tatanke	tatoidenke
prolative	tatadme	tatoidme
approximative I	tatanno	tatoidenno
approximative II	tatannoks	tatoidennoks
egressive	tatannopäi	tatoidennopäi
terminative I	tatahasai tathasai	tatoihesai
terminative II	tatalesai	tatoilesai
terminative III	tatassai	—
additive I	tatahapäi tathapäi	tatoihepäi
additive II	tatalepäi	tatoilepäi

Derived terms

• ezitat
• tatannimi

References

• Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “отец, папа”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ‎^[3], Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Volapük

Etymology

From German Staat.

Noun

tat

1. state

Declension

declension of tat

	singular	plural
nominative	tat	tats
genitive	tata	tatas
dative	tate	tates
accusative	tati	tatis
vocative 1	o tat!	o tats!
predicative 2	tatu	tatus

• ¹ status as a case is disputed
• ² in later, non-classical Volapük only