Tau

See also: Appendix:Variations of "tau"

English

Etymology

Variant of Tao.

Proper noun

Tau (plural Taus)

  1. A surname from Chinese.

Statistics

  • According to the 2010 United States Census, Tau is the 41359th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 526 individuals. Tau is most common among Asian/Pacific Islander (58.94%) and White (27.95%) individuals.

Further reading

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /taʊ̯/, [tʰaʊ̯]
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: Tau
  • Rhymes: -aʊ̯

Etymology 1

From Middle High German tou, from Old High German tou, from Proto-Germanic *dawwaz, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (smoke, haze). Compare Low German Dau, Dutch dauw, English dew, compare also Danish dug.

Noun

Tau m (strong, genitive Taues or Taus, no plural)

  1. dew
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Middle Low German [Term?], from Old Saxon tou, from Proto-Germanic *tawwą.

Noun

Tau n (strong, genitive Taues or Taus, plural Taue)

  1. strong rope
Declension
Derived terms

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Ancient Greek ταῦ (taû); see English tau.

Noun

Tau n (strong, genitive Taus, plural Taus)

  1. tau (greek letter)
    • 1866, Willibald Raila, Der Vokal-Akzent, ein bisher unformulirtes Gesez der Sprachen, insbesonders der deütschen Sprache, page 35:
      Aus zwei Sigma zwei Tau, z. B. πραττειν – πρασσειν zu sprechen, ahmt der Deütsche auch dem Griechen nach, z. B. Splitter und Splisser.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Declension

Noun

Tau f (genitive Tau, no plural)

  1. (ethnography) Tao people

Further reading

  • Tau” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • Tau” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
  • Tau” in Duden online
  • Tau on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de

Norwegian Bokmål

Proper noun

Tau

  1. Tau (a village outside Stavanger, located in the municipality of Strand, Rogaland)

Anagrams

Norwegian Nynorsk

View of the village

Etymology

Uncertain, but etymologists have pointed to a couple of explanations. One proposes a derivation of Old Norse taufr (sorcery, charms), in reference to the practice of primitive magic in the area, reckoning Taufr to be a name of the creek running through.[1][2] Another proposes a relationship with Old Norse taug (string, rope) and teygja (to stretch out), in reference to the nature of waterflow of said creek.[1]

It was attested through the late medieval and early modern periods as a Taufer (1389), Taugir (1427), and af Thawgh (1463), Thow (1563), Touu (1567), Thouff (1602), Though (1606), Thoug (1610), Thov (1661), and Toug (1723).[2] Another spelling, Tou, is still preserved in the name of a local brewery.

Proper noun

Tau

  1. Tau (a village outside Stavanger, located in the municipality of Strand, Rogaland)

References

  1. Inge Særheim (2007) “Tau”, in Stadnamn i Rogaland [Place Names in Rogaland] (in Norwegian Nynorsk), Fagbokforlaget, page 231
  2. Oluf Rygh (1915) “Tau”, in Norske Gaardnavne [Norwegian Farm Names] (in Norwegian Nynorsk), volume 10, page 235

Anagrams

Saterland Frisian

n Tau.

Etymology

From Old Frisian tau, from Proto-West Germanic [Term?], from Proto-Germanic *tawwą. Cognates include West Frisian tou and German Tau.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /taːu̯/
  • Hyphenation: Tau
  • Rhymes: -aːu̯

Noun

Tau n (plural Taue)

  1. rope

References

  • Marron C. Fort (2015) “Tau”, in Saterfriesisches Wörterbuch mit einer phonologischen und grammatischen Übersicht, Buske, →ISBN
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