tack

English

Wikipedia

Tacks (small nails with flat heads)

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /tak/
• (US) IPA: /tæk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æk

Noun

Tacks (used to attach thin objects to thick ones, in this case (potentially) papers to a bulletin board)

tack (plural tacks)

1. (carpentry) A small nail with a flat head.
2. A small, sharp, nail-like object used especially to affix thin items to thicker ones, but not heavily used in carpentry.
3. (sewing) A loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth.
4. (nautical) The lower corner on the leading edge of a sail relative to the direction of the wind.
5. (nautical) A course or heading that enables a sailing vessel to head upwind. See also reach, gybe.
6. A direction or course of action, especially a new one.
   • 1994, Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Abacus 2010, p. 637:

     I thought that my refusing Barnard would alienate Botha, and decided that such a tack was too risky.

7. (nautical) The maneuver by which a sailing vessel turns its bow through the wind so that the wind changes from one side to the other.
8. (nautical) The distance a sailing vessel runs between these maneuvers when working to windward; a board.
9. Any of the various equipment and accessories worn by horses in the course of their use as domesticated animals. Saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, harnesses, martingales, and breastplates are all forms of horse tack.
10. (chemistry) The stickiness of a compound, related to its cohesive and adhesive properties.

Synonyms

• (nautical maneuver): coming about

Hyponyms

• (nail-like object for affixing thin things): thumbtack

Derived terms

• hardtack
• thumbtack

Translations

small nail

Finnish: nupi (fi) Maori: pine (mi)

Persian: میخ (fa) Spanish: tachuela (es) f.

nail-like object

loose seam

Finnish: harsinta (fi)

Hebrew: מכלב (he)

nautical: part of sail

Finnish: etukulma (fi), halssikulma (fi)

nautical direction

Finnish: luovi (fi) Korean: 택 (taek)

Spanish: rumbo (es) m.

course of action

Finnish: kurssi (fi), suunta (fi)

nautical: maneuver

Finnish: vastakäännös (fi), venda (fi)

nautical: distance between these maneuvers — see board

any equipment worn by horse

Finnish: valjaat (fi) (draft), satulointi (fi) (riding)

chemistry: stickiness

Finnish: tahmeus (fi)

Verb

tack (third-person singular simple present tacks, present participle tacking, simple past and past participle tacked)

1. To nail with a tack (small nail with a flat head).
2. To sew/stich with a tack (loose seam used to temporarily fasten pieces of cloth).
3. (nautical) To maneuver a sailing vessel so that its bow turns through the wind, i.e. the wind changes from one side of the vessel to the other.
4. To add something as an extra item.

   to tack (something) onto (something)

5. Often with "up"", to place the tack on a horse.

Synonyms

• (nautical: to turn the bow through the wind): to change tack

Antonyms

• (nautical: to turn the stern through the wind): to wear

Translations

to nail with tacks

Finnish: kiinnittää nupeilla (fi)

Spanish: sujetar con tachuelas

to stitch

Finnish: harsia (fi), kursia (fi) German: heften (de)

Luxembourgish: fooschen (lb)

nautical: to turn the bow through the wind

Dutch: overstag gaan (nl) Finnish: tehdä (fi) vastakäännös (fi), tehdä venda (fi), vendata (fi)

French: louvoyer (fr)

to add onto, to tack one thing onto another

Finnish: liittää (fi) kylkiäinen (fi)

Spanish: agregar (es), añadir (es)

to tack up a horse

Finnish: valjastaa (fi) (for draft animal), satuloida (fi) (for riding)

Related terms

• tacky

See also

• Tack (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Tack (disambiguation)
• Blu-Tack

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Scots

Noun

tack (plural tacks)

1. Lease, tenancy
2. The period of such a contract
3. A leasehold; especially, the tenure of a land or a farm.

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Swedish

Etymology

Common Germanic. Cognates include English thank, German Dank, Danish tak and Icelandic and Norwegian takk.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /tak/

• audio

  (file)

Interjection

tack

1. thanks, please