tar

n. [ OE. terre, tarre, AS. teru, teoru; akin to D. teer, G. teer, theer, Icel. tjara, Sw. tjära, Dan. tiære, and to E. tree. √63. See Tree. ] A thick, black, viscous liquid obtained by the distillation of wood, coal, etc., and having a varied composition according to the temperature and material employed in obtaining it. [ 1913 Webster ]

Coal tar. See in the Vocabulary. --
Mineral tar (Min.), a kind of soft native bitumen. --
Tar board, a strong quality of millboard made from junk and old tarred rope. Knight. --
Tar water. (a) A cold infusion of tar in water, used as a medicine. (b) The ammoniacal water of gas works. --
Wood tar, tar obtained from wood. It is usually obtained by the distillation of the wood of the pine, spruce, or fir, and is used in varnishes, cements, and to render ropes, oakum, etc., impervious to water. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Tarred p. pr. & vb. n. Tarring. ] To smear with tar, or as with tar; as, to tar ropes; to tar cloth. [ 1913 Webster ]

To tar and feather a person. See under Feather, v. t. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. taranis, from the Celtic; cf. W. & Corn. taran thunder. ] (Myth.) A Celtic divinity, regarded as the evil principle, but confounded by the Romans with Jupiter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Russ. tarantas'. ] A low four-wheeled carriage used in Russia. The carriage box rests on two long, springy poles which run from the fore to the hind axletree. When snow falls, the wheels are taken off, and the body is mounted on a sledge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ It. ] (Mus.) (a) A rapid and delirious sort of Neapolitan dance in 6-8 time, which moves in whirling triplets; -- so called from a popular notion of its being a remedy against the poisonous bite of the tarantula. Some derive its name from Taranto in Apulia. (b) Music suited to such a dance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ It. tarantismo: cf. F. tarentisme. See Tarantula. ] (Med.) A nervous affection producing melancholy, stupor, and an uncontrollable desire to dance. It was supposed to be produced by the bite of the tarantula, and considered to be incapable of cure except by protracted dancing to appropriate music. [ Written also tarentism. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. E. Tarantulas L. Tarantulae [ NL., fr. It. tarantola, fr. L. Tarentum, now Taranto, in the south of Italy. ] (Zool.) Any one of several species of large spiders, popularly supposed to be very venomous, especially the European species (Tarantula apuliae). The tarantulas of Texas and adjacent countries are large species of Mygale. [ Written also tarentula. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Tarantula killer, a very large wasp (Pompilus formosus), which captures the Texan tarantula (Mygale Hentzii) and places it in its nest as food for its young, after paralyzing it by a sting. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Bitten by a tarantula; affected with tarantism. [ 1913 Webster ]