<B>tablet, </B>noun, verb, <B>-leted,</B> <B>-leting</B> or <B>-letted,</B> <B>-letting.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a number of sheets of writing paper fastened together at one edge, often with a stiff back and a cover; pad. <BR> <I>Ex. A tablet of scratch paper was kept near the telephone.</I> <DD><B> 2a. </B>a small, flat piece of medicine or candy; pill; lozenge. <BR> <I>Ex. That box contains twelve aspirin tablets.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>(British.) a cake of soap. <DD><B> 3. </B>a small, flat surface with an inscription or bas-relief. <BR> <I>Ex. The Hall of Fame is a building that has many tablets in memory of famous people. Idealism ... is not static, not something writ on tablets, but a constantly developing attitude of heart and mind capable of embracing and giving new meaning to twentieth century society (Listener).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>a small, smooth place of stone, wood, ivory, or other material, used in ancient times to write or draw on; sheet or slab. A tablet was covered with wax or clay and often hinged with another. The ancient Romans used tablets as we used pads of paper. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make into a tablet or tablets. <BR> <I>Ex. Their figures did not include the cost of tableting and distributing the bulk powder (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to furnish with a tablet or tablets. <BR> <I>Ex. [The] chapel [is] tableted with the names of some who have died in their country's service (Westminster Gazette).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="tabletalk">
<B>table talk,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>conversation at meals. <BR> <I>Ex. The role of family table talk has not been generally appreciated (Emory S. Bogardus).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the social conversation of famous men or intellectual circles, especially as reproduced in literary form. <DD><B> 3. </B>a subject for table talk. <BR> <I>Ex. To be the table talk of clubs upstairs (William Cowper).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="tabletennis">
<B>table tennis,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a game played on a large table marked somewhat like a tennis court, using small wooden rackets and a light, hollow plastic ball; ping-pong. </DL>
<A NAME="tabletop">
<B>tabletop, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the upper surface of a table. <DD><B> 2. </B>the flat top of a hill, rock, or other like surface. <DD><I>adj. </I> designed to be used on a tabletop. <BR> <I>Ex. a tabletop radio.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="tableware">
<B>tableware, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the dishes, knives, forks, spoons, and linen used at meals. </DL>
<A NAME="tablewine">
<B>table wine,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a wine that is generally served with meals. </DL>
<A NAME="tablework">
<B>table-work, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Printing.) the setting of columns of figures, tables, or other copy in very narrow measure. </DL>
<A NAME="tablier">
<B>tablier, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (French.) <DD><B> 1. </B>an apron. <DD><B> 2. </B>an apronlike piece in a woman's dress. <BR> <I>Ex. The bride ... wore a dress of striped white satin with pearl tablier in front and net veil (Pall Mall Gazette).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="tabloid">
<B>tabloid, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a newspaper, usually having half the ordinary size newspaper page, that has many pictures and gives the news in short articles and large, often sensational, headlines. <BR> <I>Ex. He launches another tabloid, "Municipal News," for mayors and civic officials (Canada Month).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a tablet of medicine or a chemical; pill; pellet. <BR> <I>Ex. Burroughs Wellcome registered the word Tabloid years ago, and rise up in reproof whenever they see it spelt with a small T (Punch).</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> in the form of a summary, capsule, or digest; condensed. <BR> <I>Ex. tabloid writing.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="taboo">
<B>taboo, </B>adjective, verb, <B>-booed,</B> <B>-booing,</B> noun, pl. <B>-boos.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>forbidden by custom or tradition; banned; prohibited. <BR> <I>Ex. Eating human flesh is taboo in civilized countries. The mention of her neighbours is evidently taboo, since ... she is in a state of affront with nine-tenths of them (Mary R. Mitford).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>set apart as sacred or cursed. Among the Polynesians certain things, places, and persons are taboo. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make taboo; forbid; ban; prohibit. <BR> <I>Ex. The Scandinavians, the Dutch and the Swiss all taboo masculine tears (David Gunston).</I> (SYN) proscribe. <DD><B> 2. </B>to forbid social contact with; ostracize; boycott. <BR> <I>Ex. You cannot taboo a man who has got a vote (Lord Bryce).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>any ban on a practice or on the use of something; prohibition. (SYN) interdiction. <DD><B> 2. </B>a ban on association with someone; exclusion from social relations; ostracism. <DD><B> 3a. </B>the system or act of setting things apart as forbidden. The Polynesians have many taboos under which certain things, places, and persons are set apart or prohibited as sacred, unclean, or cursed. <BR> <I>Ex. The sacred protection of an express edict of the taboo, declaring his person inviolable for ever (Herman Melville).</I> <DD><B> b. </B>the fact or condition of being so placed. <BR> <I>Ex. whoever violates the taboo will presumably be stricken to death by unseen beings (Emory S. Bogardus).</I> <DD><B> c. </B>the prohibition or interdict itself. <BR> <I>Ex. Taboos were enforced by invoking fear (Emory S. Bogardus).</I> <DD> Also, <B>tabu.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="tabor">
<B>tabor</B> or <B>tabour, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a small drum, used especially by a person playing a pipe or fife to accompany himself. <BR> <I>Ex. The whole neighbourhood came out to meet their minister ... preceded by a pipe and tabor (Oliver Goldsmith).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to beat or play on a tabor. <DD><I>v.t. </I> (Obsolete.) to beat (anything); thrash. Also, <B>taber.</B> noun <B>taborer,</B> <B>tabourer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="taboret">
<B>taboret</B> or <B>tabouret, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a stool. <BR> <I>Ex. He had bought a new easel and two rush-bottomed tabourets (W. C. Morrow).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a small, low table; stand. <DD><B> 3. </B><B>=embroidery frame.</B> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Archaic.) a small tabor; timbrel. </DL>
<A NAME="taborin">
<B>taborin,</B> <B>taborine,</B> or <B>tabourine, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a drum narrower and longer than the tabor. </DL>
<A NAME="tabret">
<B>tabret, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) a small tabor. </DL>
<A NAME="tabriz">
<B>Tabriz, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a Persian rug of cotton and wool with a medallion design, originally woven in Tabriz, a city in northwestern Iran. </DL>
<A NAME="tabu">
<B>tabu, </B>adjective, verb, <B>-bued,</B> <B>-buing,</B> noun, pl. <B>-bus.</B> <B>=taboo.</B></DL>
<A NAME="tabula">
<B>tabula, </B>noun, pl. <B>-lae.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>in ancient Rome: <DD><B> a. </B>a table or tablet, especially a writing tablet. <DD><B> b. </B>a writing or document. <DD><B> c. </B>a legal instrument or record. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Ecclesiastical.) a wooden or metal frontal. </DL>
<A NAME="tabular">
<B>tabular, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of tables or lists. <DD><B> 2. </B>entered in a table or arranged in lists; written or printed in columns. <BR> <I>Ex. tabular data.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(of a quantity) read from or calculated by means of tables. <DD><B> 4. </B>flat like a table. <BR> <I>Ex. a tabular rock.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>having the form of a tablet, slab, or tablature; flat and usually thin. <DD><B> 6. </B>tending to split into flat, thin pieces, as a rock. adv. <B>tabularly.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="tabularasa">
<B>tabula rasa, </B>pl. <B>tabulae rasae.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) <DD><B> 1. </B>the mind before it is developed and changed by experience. <BR> <I>Ex. The mind for [Locke] is entirely passive, a clean blackboard, tabula rasa, on which the experiences of the individual write their own impressions (Norbert Wiener). No scientist starts with a tabula rasa, a clean slate (George Simpson).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(literally) an erased (wax) tablet. </DL>
<A NAME="tabularize">
<B>tabularize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to make tabular; put into tabular form; tabulate. noun <B>tabularization.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="tabulate">
<B>tabulate, </B>verb, <B>-lated,</B> <B>-lating,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t., v.i. </I> to arrange (facts or figures) in tables or lists. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>shaped like a table or a tablet; tabular. <DD><B> 2. </B>having horizontal partitions. <BR> <I>Ex. tabulate corals.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="tabulatingmachine">
<B>tabulating machine, =tabulator.</B></DL>
<A NAME="tabulation">
<B>tabulation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the process of arranging in tables or lists. <BR> <I>Ex. In 1950, it took 1,400 people a year to prepare the census takers' findings for tabulation (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the fact or condition of being arranged in tables or lists. </DL>
<A NAME="tabulator">
<B>tabulator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that tabulates. <DD><B> 2. </B>a typewriter attachment for spacing figures in neat columns. <DD><B> 3. </B>a computing machine that takes in punch cards and instructions and produces lists, totals, and tabulations of the information on separate forms or on continuous paper. </DL>
<A NAME="tabun">
<B>tabun, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a toxic nerve gas for military use, first synthesized in Germany. </DL>
<A NAME="tac">
<B>TAC</B> (no periods),<DL COMPACT><DD> Tactical Air Command (a branch of the United States Air Force which provides air support for land and sea forces, ready for use in any part of the world). </DL>
<A NAME="tacamahac">
<B>tacamahac, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an aromatic gum resin, used in incense, in ointments, and formerly in medicines: <DD><B> a. </B>(originally) a resin from a Mexican tree. <DD><B> b. </B>(later) any similar resin from various trees of tropical America, Madagascar, or the East Indies. <DD><B> c. </B>resin from the buds of the North American balsam poplar. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of these trees, especially the balsam poplar. Also, <B>tacmahac,</B> <B>tacmahack.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="tacamahaca">
<B>tacamahaca, </B>noun. <B>=tacamahac.</B></DL>
<A NAME="tacan">
<B>TACAN</B> (no periods), or <B>Tacan, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> Tactical Air Navigation (an electronic unit in an aircraft that supplies a pilot with continuous readings of his distance and bearing from a fixed station, by an emitted pulse and automatic reply). </DL>
<B>tacet, </B>intransitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Music.) to be silent (used as an indication that an instrument or voice is to be silent for a time). </DL>
