tape

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A thin strip of material with a sticky surface, used for fixing or sticking things together.

   Hand me some tape so I can fix this torn page.

2. 2
   noun

   A long thin band on which sound or pictures can be recorded.

   He still has old tapes of his favourite songs.

3. 3
   noun

   A long thin strip of cloth or metal marked with measurements, used to measure length.

   The carpenter used a tape to measure the width of the door.

4. 4
   verb

   To fix or attach something using tape.

   She taped the address label to the box before posting it.

From Middle English tape, tappe, from Old English tæppa, tæppe (“ribbon, tape”); further origin unclear. Probably akin to Old Frisian tapia (“to pull, rip, tear”), Middle Low German tappen, tāpen (“to grab, pull, rip, tear, snatch”), Middle High German zāfen, zāven (“to pull, tear”).

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