tarpaulin
/ˈtɑːɹpəlɪn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.38 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A heavy, waterproof sheet of material, often cloth or plastic sheet, used as a cover or blanket (often as weatherproofing, or to keep loose cargo from blowing off a lorry).
Countable
noun
A hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others.
Archaic; Countable; Uncountable
verb
To cover with a tarpaulin.
Example Sentences
- "Throw a tarpaulin over that woodpile before it gets wet."
- "There were sailors asleep in the fantastic fashion of the British tarpaulin — snoring heavily as they lay on the bare deck, despite the din about them."
- "Near-synonym: rain hat"
- ""Cover it up! Don't touch it!" said the Professor. So we tarpaulined it according to his instructions, and there it lies."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dóruder. Proto-Germanic *terwą Old English teoru Middle English ter English tar Proto-Indo-European *pel- Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -iusnom. Latin -ium ? Latin pallium Old French pailebor. Old English pæl Middle English pal English pall Proto-Germanic *-ungō Old English -ung Middle English -ynge English -ing English tarpaulin From tar + pall (“heavy canvas”) + -ing. The sailor sense reflects that sailors of centuries past often wore garments made of tarred cloth (for weatherproofing).
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈtɑːɹpəlɪn/
- British English: /tɑˈpɔː.lɪn/