tie

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn under a collar and tied in knot at the front

   I stood in front of the mirror tightening my necktie.

2. 2
   noun

   a cord, string, ribbon, wire etc. with which something is tied

   We needed a tie for the packages.

3. 3
   noun

   a horizontal beam used to prevent two other structural members from spreading apart or separating

   I nailed the rafters together with a tie beam.

4. 4
   noun

   one of the cross braces that support the rails on a railway track

   the British call a railroad tie a sleeper

5. 5
   verb

   form a knot or bow in

   tie a necktie

6. 6
   verb

   limit or restrict to

   I am tied to UNIX

7. 7
   verb

   finish a game with an equal number of points, goals, etc.

   The teams drew a tie

8. 8
   verb

   fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord

   They tied their victim to the chair

Etymology

From Middle English teye (“cord, chain”), from Old English tēag, tēah (“cord, chain”), from Proto-West Germanic *taugu, from Proto-Germanic *taugō, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dewk-. Compare Danish tov, Icelandic taug.