Tap, tap, n. a hole or short pipe through which liquor is drawn: a place where liquor is drawn: any particular liquor drawn through a tap.—v.t. to pierce, so as to let out fluid: to open a cask and draw off liquor: to broach a vessel.—v.i. to act as a tapster:—pr.p. tap′ping; pa.t. and pa.p. tapped.—ns. Tap′-bolt, a bolt with a head on one end and a thread on the other, to be screwed into some fixed part instead of passing through and receiving a nut; Tap′-cin′der, slag produced during puddling; Tap′-house, a tavern; Tap′lash, poor stale swipes; Tapote′ment, percussion; Tap′per, one who taps; Tap′ping, an operation frequently resorted to for the removal of fluid accumulations, particularly in the pleural and peritoneal cavities, consisting in the introduction of one end of a small tube into the cavity and withdrawing the fluid by siphon action, or by means of a vacuum: the act or art of tapping or drawing out fluid; Tap′room, a room where beer is served from the tap or cask; Tap′root, a root of a plant or tree striking directly downward without dividing, and tapering towards the end, as that of the carrot; Tap′ster, one who taps or draws off liquor, a publican, barman.—On tap, kept in cask—opp. to bottled: ready to be drawn upon. [A.S. tæppe, seen in tæppere, one who taps casks; Dut. tap, Ger. zapfen, a tap.]
Tap, tap, n. a Scotch form of top.
Tap, tap, n. an Indian malarial fever. [Hind.]
Tapa, tä′pä, n. the bark of the paper-mulberry, much used in the South Seas for mats, &c.—Also Tap′pa.
Tapadera, tap-a-dā′ra, n. a leather guard for the stirrup of the Californian saddle. [Sp., 'a cover'—tapar, to cover.]
Tape, tāp, n. a narrow fillet or band of woven work, used for strings, &c.: a strong flexible band rotating on pulleys for directing the sheets in a printing-machine: the strip of paper used in a printing-telegraph instrument, &c.: (slang) liquor.—v.t. to furnish, or tie up, with tape: to extend.—ns. Tape′-line, -meas′ure, a measuring-line of tape, marked with inches, &c.—adj. Tā′pen, made of tape.—n. Tā′pist, one who uses tape, an official formalist.—Breast the tape, in foot-racing, to touch with the breast the tape or ribbon held by the judge at the finish-line. [A.S. tæppe, a fillet—L. tapete—Gr. tapēs.]
Taper, tā′pėr, n. a small wax-candle or light: tapering form.—adj. narrowed towards the point, like a taper: long and slender.—v.i. to become gradually smaller towards one end.—v.t. to make to taper.—adj. Tā′pering, growing gradually thinner.—adv. Tā′peringly, in a tapering manner.—n. Tā′perness, state of being taper. [A.S. tapor, prob. Ir. tapar.]
Tapestry, tap′es-tri, n. an ornamental textile used for the covering of walls and furniture, and for curtains and hangings—divided into two classes, according as they are made in high-warp (haute lisse) or low-warp (basse lisse) looms.—v.t. to adorn with tapestry—n. Tap′et (Spens.). [O. Fr. tapisserie—tapis; a carpet—L. tapete, a carpet, tapestry—Gr. tapēs, -etis—Pers. tabsch.]
Tapeti, tap′e-ti, n. the Brazilian hare.