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tad (n.)1877, "young or small child," probably a shortened form of tadpole, which is said to be the source of Tad as the nickname of U.S. President Lincoln's son Thomas (1853–1871). The extended meaning "small amount" is first recorded 1915.
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tae kwon do 1967, from Korean, said to represent tae "kick" + kwon "fist" + do "art, way, method."
Related entries & more taedium vitae Latin, "weariness of life; a deep disgust with life tempting one to suicide."
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taffeta (n.)mid-14c., "fine, smooth, lustrous silk cloth," also taffata, from Old French taffetas (early 14c.), from Italian taffeta or Medieval Latin taffata, ultimately from Persian taftah "silk or linen cloth," noun use of past participle of taftan "to twist, spin, weave, interlace," from Iranian *tap-. Applied to different fabrics in different eras (and see tapestry).
Related entries & more taffrail (n.)1814, alteration of tafferel (1704) "upper panel on the stern of a ship (often ornamented)," earlier, "a carved panel" (1620s), from Dutch tafereel "panel for painting or carving," dissimulation from *tafeleel, diminutive of tafel "table," from the general West Germanic borrowing of Latin tabula "slab, board" (see table (n.)). The word developed in Dutch from the custom of ornamenting (by painting or carving) the high, flat stern of old sailing ships; spelling and sense altered in English by influence of rail (n.).
Related entries & more taffy (n.)coarse candy made from sugar or molasses boiled down and cooled, 1817, related to toffee, but of uncertain origin; perhaps associated with tafia (1763), a rum-like alcoholic liquor distilled from molasses, presumably of West Indian or Malay (Austronesian) origin (perhaps a Creole shortening of ratafia). On this theory, the candy would have been made from the syrup skimmed off the liquor during distillation.
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