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Definition of tan noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

tan

noun
 
/tæn/
 
/tæn/
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  1. [uncountable] a yellow-brown colourTopics Colours and Shapesc1
  2. (also suntan)
     [countable] the brown colour that somebody with pale skin goes when they have been in the sun
    • to get a tan
    • My tan’s fading already.
    • I want to top up my tan on the sunbed at the gym.
    • Show off your tan in this little white top.
    see also spray tanTopics Appearancec1, Holidaysc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • dark
    • deep
    • golden
    • …
    verb + tan
    • have
    • show off
    • sport
    • …
    preposition
    • against your tan
    See full entry
    3. see also black and tan
    Word Originnoun late Old English tannian ‘convert into leather’, probably from medieval Latin tannare, perhaps of Celtic origin; reinforced in Middle English by Old French tanner.
See tan in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: tan

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