Tau

See also: tau, tàu, Tàu, tãu, tău, taʻu, ta'u, and täü

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /taʊ̯/
• Rhymes: -aʊ̯

Etymology 1

(deprecated template usage)

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

Noun

Tau m (genitive Taus or Taues, no plural)

1. dew

Derived terms

• Sonnentau
• Taufliege

Related terms

• tauen (partly)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Low German, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Saxon tou, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Germanic *tawwą.

Noun

Tau n (genitive Taus or Taues, plural Taue)

1. strong rope

Derived terms

• vertäuen

Etymology 3

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek, see tau.

Noun

Tau n (genitive Taus, plural Taus)

1. tau (greek letter)
   • 1866, Willibald Raila, Der Vokal-Akzent, ein bisher unformulirtes Gesez der Sprachen, insbesonders der deütschen Sprache, p. 35:

     Aus zwei Sigma zwei Tau, z. B. πραττειν – πρασσειν zu sprechen, ahmt der Deütsche auch dem Griechen nach, z. B. Splitter und Splisser.