tardo

See also: tardó, tardò, and tardo-

English

Etymology

From Spanish tardo (“slow”), from Latin tardus.

Noun

tardo (plural tardos)

1. (archaic) A sloth (animal).
   • 1881, Lippincott's magazine: Volume 27:

     On my last trip to Vera Cruz I procured a pair of black tardos, full-grown and in a normal state of health […]

References

• “tardo”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Dorta, Troad, dotar, troad

Catalan

Verb

tardo

1. first-person singular present indicative of tardar

Galician

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtaɾdo/ [ˈt̪aɾ.ð̞ʊ]
• Rhymes: -aɾdo

Etymology 1

Deverbal from tardar.

Adjective

tardo (feminine tarda, masculine plural tardos, feminine plural tardas)

1. slow, unhurried, calm

   Synonyms: calmo, pousado, vagaroso

2. late, tardy

Etymology 2

From the same origin that trasno (“goblin”).

Noun

tardo m (plural tardos)

1. (folklore) nightmare (goblin who plagues people while they slept and cause a feeling of suffocation)

   Synonym: pesadelo

Etymology 3

Verb

tardo

1. first-person singular present indicative of tardar

References

• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “tardo”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “tardo”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “tardo”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtar.do/
• Rhymes: -ardo
• Hyphenation: tàr‧do

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin tardus.

Adjective

tardo (feminine tarda, masculine plural tardi, feminine plural tarde)

1. slow, sluggard, dull, slow-witted, dull-witted
2. late, tardy

Derived terms

• tardamente

Related terms

• tardare
• tarde
• tardi
• tardivo

Further reading

• tardo in Treccani.it – Vocabolario Treccani on line, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

tardo

1. first-person singular present indicative of tardare

Latin

Etymology

From tardus.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈtar.doː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈtar.do]

Verb

tardō (present infinitive tardāre, perfect active tardāvī, supine tardātum); first conjugation

1. to check or retard, hinder, impede or delay

   Synonyms: refrēnō, dētineō, reprimō, officiō, cohibeō, obstō, intersaepiō, prohibeō, impediō, arceō, perimō, moror

2. to hesitate

   Synonyms: retardō, cū̆nctor, moror, trahō, dubitō

   Antonyms: ruō, accurrō, currō, festīnō, prōvolō, corripiō, affluō, mātūrō

Conjugation

   Conjugation of tardō (first conjugation)

indicative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	tardō		tardās		tardat		tardāmus		tardātis		tardant
	imperfect	tardābam		tardābās		tardābat		tardābāmus		tardābātis		tardābant
	future	tardābō		tardābis		tardābit		tardābimus		tardābitis		tardābunt
	perfect	tardāvī		tardāvistī		tardāvit		tardāvimus		tardāvistis		tardāvērunt, tardāvēre
	pluperfect	tardāveram		tardāverās		tardāverat		tardāverāmus		tardāverātis		tardāverant
	future perfect	tardāverō		tardāveris		tardāverit		tardāverimus		tardāveritis		tardāverint
passive	present	tardor		tardāris, tardāre		tardātur		tardāmur		tardāminī		tardantur
	imperfect	tardābar		tardābāris, tardābāre		tardābātur		tardābāmur		tardābāminī		tardābantur
	future	tardābor		tardāberis, tardābere		tardābitur		tardābimur		tardābiminī		tardābuntur
	perfect	tardātus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	tardātus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	tardātus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	tardem		tardēs		tardet		tardēmus		tardētis		tardent
	imperfect	tardārem		tardārēs		tardāret		tardārēmus		tardārētis		tardārent
	perfect	tardāverim		tardāverīs		tardāverit		tardāverīmus		tardāverītis		tardāverint
	pluperfect	tardāvissem		tardāvissēs		tardāvisset		tardāvissēmus		tardāvissētis		tardāvissent
passive	present	tarder		tardēris, tardēre		tardētur		tardēmur		tardēminī		tardentur
	imperfect	tardārer		tardārēris, tardārēre		tardārētur		tardārēmur		tardārēminī		tardārentur
	perfect	tardātus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	tardātus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular						plural
		first		second		third		first		second		third
active	present	—		tardā		—		—		tardāte		—
	future	—		tardātō		tardātō		—		tardātōte		tardantō
passive	present	—		tardāre		—		—		tardāminī		—
	future	—		tardātor		tardātor		—		—		tardantor
non-finite forms		infinitive						participle
		active			passive			active			passive
present		tardāre			tardārī			tardāns			—
future		tardātūrum esse			tardātum īrī			tardātūrus			tardandus
perfect		tardāvisse			tardātum esse			—			tardātus
future perfect		—			tardātum fore			—			—
perfect potential		tardātūrum fuisse			—			—			—
verbal nouns		gerund								supine
		genitive		dative		accusative		ablative		accusative		ablative
		tardandī		tardandō		tardandum		tardandō		tardātum		tardātū

Related terms

• tardus

Descendants

• Catalan: tardar
• French: tarder
• Italian: tardare
• Occitan: tardar
• Old Galician-Portuguese: tardar
  • Galician: tardar
  • Portuguese: tardar
• Piedmontese: tardé
• Spanish: tardar

Adjective

tardō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of tardus

References

• “tardo”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “tardo”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• “tardo”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtaʁ.du/ [ˈtaɦ.du]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtaʁ.du/ [ˈtaɦ.du]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ˈtaɾ.du/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈtaʁ.du/
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ˈtaɻ.du/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtaʁ.do/ [ˈtaɦ.do]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈtaɾ.du/ [ˈtaɾ.ðu]

• Hyphenation: tar‧do

Etymology 1

From Latin tardus.

Adjective

tardo (feminine tarda, masculine plural tardos, feminine plural tardas)

1. sluggish, lazy

Related terms

• tardar
• tarde
• tardio

Etymology 2

Verb

tardo

1. first-person singular present indicative of tardar

Further reading

• “tardo”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “tardo”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtaɾdo/ [ˈt̪aɾ.ð̞o]
• Rhymes: -aɾdo
• Syllabification: tar‧do

Etymology 1

From Latin tardus, possibly borrowed. First attested 15th century.

Adjective

tardo (feminine tarda, masculine plural tardos, feminine plural tardas)

1. tardy, late

   Synonym: atrasado

2. slow, sluggish

   Synonym: lento

3. dim-witted

   Synonym: cortito

Related terms

• tardar
• tarde
• tardío

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

tardo

1. first-person singular present indicative of tardar

Further reading

• “tardo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025