Definition of: tan

(tan) v. tanned, tan·ning v.t.
1. To convert into leather, as hides or skins, by treatment with an infusion of tannin obtained from the bark of the oak, hemlock, etc.
2. To make durable or hard, as fishnets or sails.
3. To bronze, as the skin, by exposure to sunlight.
4. Colloq. To thrash; flog.
—v.i.
5. To become tanned, as hides or the skin.
—noun
1. Chem. a Tanbark. b Tannin.
2. A yellowish–brown color tinged with red.
3. A dark or brown coloring of the skin, resulting from exposure to the sun: a coat of tan.
—adjective
1. Of a yellowish– or reddish–brown; tan–colored.
2. Used in or pertaining to tanning. [OE tannian <Med. L tannare <tanum tanbark, prob. <Celtic. Cf. Breton tann oak.]