tack

B2 Topic:Education & Learning

US /ˈtæk/ UK /tæk/ See IPA manual

Freq #14883

Meanings

1

noun
A way of dealing with a problem; an approach or course of action.

When the usual methods failed, they tried a different tack.
2

noun
A short nail with a flat head.

He used a few tacks to pin the poster to the wall.
3

verb
To fasten something with tacks.

She tacked the notice to the board.
4

verb
To change the direction of a sailing boat by turning into the wind.

The sailors had to tack to reach the harbor.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms tackedtackingtacks

Derived forms bartackblu-tackhardtackshort-tackthumbtack

Related forms blu-tacktacky

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

tack hammer
a small light hammer used to drive tacks

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English tak, take (“fee, tax (on livestock)”), from Old Norse tak, taka (“a taking, seizure; revenue”), from Old Norse taka (“to take”). Cognate with Scots tack.

*teh₂g- Proto-Indo-European tak Middle English taka Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Education & Learning

External links

# tack

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈtæk/
**IPA (UK):** /tæk/
**Frequency rank:** 14883

## Meanings
1. A way of dealing with a problem; an approach or course of action.
2. A short nail with a flat head.
3. To fasten something with tacks.
4. To change the direction of a sailing boat by turning into the wind.

## Examples
- When the usual methods failed, they tried a different tack.
- He used a few tacks to pin the poster to the wall.
- She tacked the notice to the board.
- The sailors had to tack to reach the harbor.

## Derived Forms
- bartack
- blu-tack
- hardtack
- short-tack
- thumbtack

## Related Forms
- blu-tack
- tacky

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *teh₂g-
- Root: tak
- Root: taka

## Etymology
From Middle English tak, take (“fee, tax (on livestock)”), from Old Norse tak, taka (“a taking, seizure; revenue”), from Old Norse taka (“to take”). Cognate with Scots tack.

## AI Etymology
Tack is from Middle English tak, take (“fee, tax (on livestock)”), from Old Norse tak, taka (“a taking, seizure; revenue”), from Old Norse taka (“to take”). Cognate with Scots tack. In present-day use, it can mean a way of dealing with a problem; an approach or course of action, or a short nail with a flat head. Derived formations include bartack, blu-tack, hardtack, short-tack, thumbtack.

## Topics
- Education & Learning

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