tameadj.
/teɪm/, U.S. /teɪm/ 1.
a. Of animals (rarely of men): Reclaimed from the wild state; brought under the control and care of man; domestic; domesticated. (Opposed to wild.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > domestic animal > [adjective]
tamec888
mildOE
meekc1175
privy1340
unwilda1400
familiar1483
gentle?1531
domestical1562
inward1575
inwards1575
housal1611
domestic1620
cicurated1646
domesticated1802
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > [adjective] > tamed or trained
tamec888
mildOE
meekc1175
unwilda1400
chastisedc1440
reclaimed1440
made1474
familiar1483
gentle?1531
domestical1562
inward1575
inwards1575
housal1611
domestic1620
cicurated1646
domiciliated1782
domesticated1802
broken1805
hand-tamed1932
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxxv. §6 Wildu ðior..woldon..standon swilce hi tame wæron.
c1000 Ælfric Lives Saints (1900) II. 326 Se wulf folgode..swylce he tam wære.
c1000 in T. Wright & R. P. Wülcker Anglo-Saxon & Old Eng. Vocab. (1884) I. 481/22 Subjugalis, tam.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 174 He made on werlde al erue tame.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1482 Esau wilde man, huntere, And Iacob tame man, tiliere.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 25430 Of all þin sandes wild and tam, Man þou scop and gaf him nam.
c1480 (a1400) St. Placidus 318 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 78 Wyld hors & tayme.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 2 Pet. ii. 16 The tame and dom beast speakynge with mannes voyce.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler ii. 44 I'll try if I can make her [a young otter] tame . View more context for this quotation
1660 F. Brooke tr. V. Le Blanc World Surveyed 166 They have also tame Lions.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 271 From a Salvage Prince rendred himself a tame Follower of the Patriarch.
1772 J. Priestley Inst. Relig. I. 35 Small and tame animals breed fast.
1846 H. H. Wilson Hist. Brit. India 1805–35 II. ix. 372 The beasts of the forest, or the scarcely tamer human beings.
1859 H. Kingsley Recoll. G. Hamlyn xxviii A tame black belonging to us. He is great at all sorts of hunting.
b. humorously, of a person: Domestic; kept or supported for domestic or private use.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to conditions > [adjective] > domestic or kept for private use
tame1711
1711 J. Addison Spectator No. 47. ¶2 It was formerly the Custom for every great House in England to keep a tame Fool dress'd in Petticoats.
1895 Westm. Gaz. 13 Mar. 8/1 At the Treasury..A tame bookbinder receives £105 a year.
1910 N.E.D. at Tame Mod. They endow ‘tame professors’ to advocate their views.
2. Applied to plants, also (in U.S.) to land: Cultivated, improved by culture; garden- as opposed to wild; now restricted to U.S. use. tame hay, hay made from specially sown grasses or forage plants; cf. wild hay. (Western U.S.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > wild and cultivated plants > [adjective] > cultivated or planted
gentle?1440
plantedc1450
husbandly1550
tame1551
manured1562
domestical1578
sative1599
mild1601
cultivated1634
hortala1704
sativous1786
farmed1897
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > [adjective] > cultivated
gentle?1440
husbandly1550
tame1551
manured1562
domestical1578
sative1599
cherished1744
sativous1786
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > garden > [adjective] > designed or laid out
tame1551
laid1827
the world > food and drink > farming > farm > farmland > land suitable for cultivation > [adjective] > cultivated
wroughtOE
subact?1440
laboured1470
tilled1546
well-cultured1555
well-laboured1571
husbanded1578
toiled1578
well-husbanded1581
cultive1611
improved1617
cultivated1622
well-cultivated1650
manured1746
well-farmed1770
reduced1794
farmed1800
tillaged1854
tilthed1866
tame1887
1551 W. Turner New Herball sig. C vv I haue not sene yet the right tame Anemone.
1562 W. Turner 2nd Pt. Herball f. 112 Tame or gardin radice.
1578 H. Lyte tr. R. Dodoens Niewe Herball iii. lix. 399 The tame Hoppe hath rough branches.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iv. xxxi. 295 Cherries, both wilde and tame have not prospered well at the Indies.
1629 J. Parkinson Paradisi in Sole (1904) 420 Any Rose either wilde or tame.
1838 H. W. Ellsworth Valley Upper Wabash iv. 39 It is very desirable..to get the tame grasses..set as soon as possible.
1857 Trans. Illinois State Agric. Soc. 1856–7 2 382 Where tame pasture is resorted to something more needs to be done.
1881 Rep. Indian Affairs (U.S.) 107 Some few have raised tame grapes.
1885 J. S. Stallybrass tr. V. Hehn Wanderings Plants & Animals 94 Herodotus makes the oracle speak of the tame olive.
1887 A. H. Buck Ref. Handbk. Med. Sci. V. 9/2 The careful pioneer..had his corral..where the land had become ‘tame’.
1936 Sun (Baltimore) 15 Sept. 26/8 Tame hay production..is estimated at 355,000 tons.
1962 A. Fry Ranch on Cariboo x. 106 In conjunction with his store, he..put up a big field of good tame hay.
1976 Billings (Montana) Gaz. 20 June 8- d/8 (advt.) 320 acres, 148 tillable now in tame grass.
3. † c. poetic applied to a thing with which one is familiar. Obsolete.
a. Having the disposition or character of a domesticated animal; accustomed to man; not showing the natural shyness, fear of, or fierceness to man; familiar; also of persons, their disposition, etc.: made tractable, docile, or pliant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by nature > [adjective] > docile
tamec888
hand-tameOE
softc1175
sober1398
mansuetea1525
sedate1791
the mind > emotion > calmness > meekness or mildness > [adjective]
stillc825
tamec888
mildeOE
lithea1000
daftc1000
meekc1325
lambishc1374
meeklyc1375
benign1377
temperatec1380
quieta1382
gall-lessa1398
mansuetea1425
meeta1425
unwrathful1542
rageless1578
lamb-like?1592
mildya1603
milky1602
pigeon-livered1604
placid1614
spleenless?1615
passive1616
unprovokable1646
milken1648
uncaptious1661
stomachless1727
unindignant1789
pianoa1817
ireless1829
unquarrelsome1830
quiet-goinga1835
uncholeric1834
unoffendable1839
baby-milda1845
quiet-tempered1846
turtlish1855
pathic1857
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > gentleness or mildness > [adjective]
stillc825
tamec888
nesheOE
mildeOE
softOE
lithea1000
daftc1000
methefulOE
sefteOE
meekc1175
benign1377
pleasablea1382
mytha1400
tendera1400
unfelona1400
mansuetea1425
meeta1425
gentlec1450
moy1487
placablea1522
facile1539
effeminate1594
silver1596
mildya1603
unmalicious1605
uncruel1611
maliceless1614
tender-hefteda1616
unpersecutive1664
baby-milda1845
rose water1855
turtlish1855
unvindictive1857
soft-boiled1859
tenderful1901
soft-lining1967
c888 Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. xxv. §1 Seo leo, ðeah hio wel tam se.
a1000 Gnom. Verses 142 Til mon tiles & tomes meares.
a1225 Leg. Kath. 1318 Þet he ne talde him al tom ear he turnde from us.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 115 Naþing ne wald wilde flesch ne Makeð hit tommere þenne muche weche.
a1250 Owl & Nightingale 1444 Hwich beo þe gome Þat of þe wilde makeþ tome.
c1302 Pol. Songs (Camden) 194 Alas! thou seli Fraunce, for the may thunche shome, That ane fewe fullaris maketh ou so tome.
c1374 G. Chaucer Compl. Mars 278 The pruddest of yow may be made ful tame.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11628 Al þe bestes þat ar wild For me most be tame and mild.
c1430 Hymns Virg. (1867) 63 Y wole þee leere To make þi lord to þee tame.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection ii. sig. Liiv Go home mekely and tame to thy place.
1785 F. Grose Classical Dict. Vulgar Tongue (at cited word) To run tame about a house, to live familiarly in a family with which one is upon a visit.
1908 Betw. Trent & Ancholme 26 It [a gull] became tame enough to watch its food being dug.
b. tame cat: One who is on the footing of the domestic cat; a person who is made a convenience by his friends. So †tame-fellow, †tame goose (obsolete). (Cf. 1b.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > friendliness > [noun] > friend > person made a convenience by friends
tame cat1885
1605 Case is Altered (Halliw.) Utterly cast away upon a noddy, a ninny-hammer, a tame-goose.
1699 B. E. New Dict. Canting Crew Tame-fellow, tractable, easy, manageable.
1878 Mrs. H. Wood Pomeroy Abbey I. 255 Here has he been in the house continually like a tame cat.]
1885 World 9 Sept. 9 It sheds the gentle glamour of romance over the tame cat himself and the household where he is always welcome.
1900 Daily News 16 Jan. 3/2 He is the tamest of tame cats amongst local officials.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > knowledge, what is known > familiarity > [adjective]
couthOE
known1340
familiara1398
unstrangec1400
learnedc1420
conversant1430
beknown?c1475
well-beknown1480
quentc1540
well-kent1554
quainted1560
well-known1568
obversant1579
conversed1607
tame1609
familiarized1633
intimatea1680
household1761
homely1782
ole1835
old1898
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iii. iii. 10 All, That time acquaintance, custome and condition, Made tame, and most familiar to my nature. View more context for this quotation
4. Subdued as by taming; submissive; meek; poor-spirited, pusillanimous; servile.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > humility > servility > [adjective]
go-by-ground?a1300
thrall1398
abjectc1430
manly?c1430
servicious1440
serviceable1483
servile1537
tame1563
slavish1565
demiss1572
submissive1572
cringing1579
fawning1585
incrouching?1593
vassal1594
scraping1599
obsequious1602
spaniel1606
observing1609
deprostrate1610
supplea1616
vernile1623
shrugging1629
wormy1640
compliable1641
thrall-like1641
obeisant1642
inservient1646
truckling1656
cringeling1693
benecking1705
subservient1714
footman-like1776
bingeing1805
sidling1821
toadying1863
crawlsome1904
toadyish1909
crawling1941
ass-kissing1942
the mind > emotion > fear > cowardice or pusillanimity > [adjective] > spiritless
comfortless1387
weak-hearta1425
unheartyc1440
sprightlessa1522
blate1535
weak-hearted1544
tame1563
spiritless1595
dismettled1660
exanimated1689
poor-spirited1749
milksoppish1852
unantagonistic1858
springless1869
spunkless1882
milksoppy1886
gritless1892
society > authority > subjection > obedience > submissiveness > [adjective] > in unfavourable sense
meekc1325
tame1563
slavish1565
slink1792
1563 A. Neville in B. Googe Eglogs Epytaphes & Sonettes sig. F.viv The countnaunce sad The drowping Courage tame.
1654 T. Warren Vnbeleevers 235 They are a company of tame Souldiers.
1715 A. Pope tr. Homer Iliad I. i. 168 Shall I my Prize resign With tame Content, and Thou possest of thine?
1761–2 D. Hume Hist. Eng. (1806) V. lxx. 269 They should expose themselves..to public contempt, on account of their tame behaviour.
1769 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra (1772) I. xi. 73 Never hope that the freeholders will make a tame surrender of their rights.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 422 The tribunal lately so insolent, became on a sudden strangely tame.
5.
a. Lacking animation, force, or effectiveness; deficient in striking features; weak, spiritless, insipid, dull.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > feeling of weariness or tedium > [adjective] > wearisome or tedious > bland or insipid
colourlessc1425
unsavouryc1449
wearish?1533
wersha1599
tasteless1603
tame1604
juiceless1620
water gruela1627
dry1632
soulless1632
frigid1643
vapid1656
insipida1684
fade1715
heartless1780
vapid1785
achromatic1799
sauceless1817
albuminous1858
antiseptic1891
flat-footed1899
unatmospheric1913
defanged1920
anodyne1933
spiceless1942
tea-party1961
nothingburger1965
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. ii. 16 Be not too tame neither, but let your owne discretion be your tutor, sute the action to the word. View more context for this quotation
1651 Bp. J. Taylor XXVIII Serm. v. 63 He that is cold and tame in his prayers, hath not tasted of the deliciousness of Religion, and the goodnesse of God.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xv. 151 The tame correct paintings of the Flemish school.
1850 F. W. Robertson Serm. (1866) 1st Ser. xvi. 266 These words fall short: they are too tame and cool.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. xxvii. 217 My delight..was tame compared with that of my companions.
1894 C. H. H. Parry Stud. Great Composers: Schubert 232 The tamer style of his instrumental works was probably owing to the same causes which made his song-writing so very remarkable.
b. Of scenery: Wanting boldness; having no striking features.
ΚΠ
1807 R. C. Hoare Tour Ireland 186 On descending..the scenery..becomes tamer.
1894 Mrs. H. Ward Marcella I. i. i. 16 A broad expanse of tame arable country.
Compounds
tame-spirited, tame-witted, etc.
ΚΠ
1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. H2 v Poore tame-witted silly Quirko.
1910 N.E.D. at Tame Mod. One could not expect the nation to be so tame-spirited.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
tamev.1
/teɪm/, U.S. /teɪm/ 1. † b. To bring (a wild plant) under or into cultivation; to reclaim or improve (land) by cultivation.
a. transitive. To bring (a wild animal) under the control or into the service of man; to reclaim from the wild state, to domesticate. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > [verb (transitive)] > tame or train
temec1000
tamec1315
faite1362
daunt1377
afaitea1393
reclaima1393
chastisec1400
makea1425
meekc1429
break1474
enter1490
train?1532
law1534
dressc1540
meeken1591
correct1594
subjugate1595
cicure1599
unwild1605
cicurate1606
mancipate1623
familiarize1634
domesticate1641
gentle1651
domesticize1656
civilize1721
educate1760
domiciliate1782
c1315 Shoreham Poems vi. 65 Þat vnicorn þat was so wyld..Þou hast y-tamed [hyt], and i-styld.
1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis II. 161 Hou men hem scholde ryde and tame.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 486/2 Tamyn, or make tame, domo.
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. G3v To tame the Vnicorne, and Lion wild. View more context for this quotation
1710 Tatler No. 222 As People tame Hawks and Eagles, by keeping them awake.
1863 C. Lyell Geol. Evid. Antiq. Man 24 At a later period..the lake-dwellers succeeded in taming that formidable brute the Bos primigenius, the Urus of Cæsar.
1877 E. R. Conder Basis of Faith i. 23 Or tames the lightning to be his newsmonger and his lamplighter.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivate or till [verb (transitive)]
begoc890
workOE
tillc1200
exercise1382
dightc1400
labourc1400
manure1416
cultive?1483
tilth1496
culture1510
trim1517
dress1526
subdue1535
toil1552
use1558
farm1570
cultivate1588
tame1601
husbandize1625
culturate1631
to take in1845
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > cultivation of plants or crops > cultivate plants or crops [verb (transitive)]
tilla1325
raisec1384
uprearc1400
nourisha1500
cherish1519
dig1526
dress1526
govern1532
manure?c1550
rear1581
nurse1594
tame1601
crop1607
cultive1614
cultivate1622
ingentle1622
tend1631
make1714
peck1728
grow1774
farm1793
culture1809
side-dress1888
double-crop1956
produce2006
1601 R. Dolman tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. III. 313 Many great personages..haue taken paines to tame them, and cause them to growe in gardens.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 53 For he with frequent Exercise Commands Th' unwilling Soil, and tames the stubborn Lands. View more context for this quotation
a1722 E. Lisle Observ. Husbandry (1757) 100 (E.D.D.) By that time the ground will be tamed.
1746 W. Dunkin tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles ii. ii. 241 Another shall..tame the savage Soil.
2.
a. To overcome the wildness or fierceness of (a man, animal, or thing); to subdue, subjugate, curb; to render gentle, tractable, or docile.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > subject [verb (transitive)] > make obedient
master?c1225
atame1340
tamec1384
reclaima1393
reducec1475
subduea1525
range1587
to bring ina1599
tawne1606
entamea1616
puppify1660
to bring to1747
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Dan. ii. 40 Hou yrun brekith to gydre alle thingus, and dauntith, or tamith.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Cor. ix. 27 But I tame my body and brynge hym into subjeccion.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 2194 Soche tyrandes to tame, þat vs tene wirkes.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry IV f. xxiij The prince..had tamed & brideled the furious rage of the wild and sauage Welshemen.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xii. 191 This River-dragon tam'd at length submits To let his sojourners depart.
a1771 T. Gray Ess. I in W. Mason Mem. Life & Writings (1775) 195 Industry and gain..Command the winds, and tame th' unwilling deep.
1807 G. Crabbe Village (rev. ed.) ii, in Poems 28 Tame the fierce grief and stem the rising sigh.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby ix. 77 She hoped she had tamed a high spirit or two in her day.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin II. xix. 27 I took him in hand, and in one fortnight I had him tamed down as submissive and tractable as heart could desire.
1859 J. S. Rarey Art of taming Horses (new ed.) i. 20 Mr. Rarey had tamed Cruiser, the most vicious stallion in England.
1863 [see sense 1a]. b. intransitive. To become tame; to grow gentle, submissive, or sedate. Also with down.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > obedience > manageability > be manageable [verb (intransitive)] > grow tame
tame1646
1646 J. Shirley Narcissvs in Poems ii. 19 All wilde shall tame before thee as thou go'st.
1650 H. Vaughan Silex Scintillans 66 My weak fire..after all my height of flames, In sickly Expirations tames.
1853 C. M. Yonge Heir of Redclyffe I. xii. 208 She had..tamed down into what gave the promise of a sensible woman.
3. transitive. To reduce the intensity of; to tone down; to temper, soften, mellow; also, to render dull or uninteresting.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > decrease or reduction in quantity, amount, or degree > reduce in quantity, amount, or degree [verb (transitive)] > tone down
temperc1000
modifyc1385
softenc1410
tame?a1500
qualify1536
temperatea1540
extenuate1561
supple1609
dilute1665
palliate1665
weaken1683
subdue1723
lower1780
modulate1783
to shade away1817
to water down1832
to water down1836
sober1838
veil1843
to tone down1847
to break down1859
soothe1860
tone1884
to key down1891
soft-pedal1912
?a1500 Chester Pl. vii. 78 Hemlockes, and herif..With Tarboyst most bene all tamed.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 121 Nor cou'd Vulcanian Flame The Stench abolish; or the Savour tame . View more context for this quotation
1700 J. Dryden tr. Ovid Baucis & Philemon 69 This in the pot he plung'd without delay To tame the flesh, and drain the salt away.
1847 H. Rogers Ess. I. v. 221 The first editors had tamed down some of the more startling statements of Pascal.
1871 F. T. Palgrave Brecon Bridge in Lyrical Poems 100 Manhood's colours tamed to gray.
Compounds
Combinations (noun or adjective) of the verb-stem with a noun (as object).
tame-grief n. that which subdues grief, or adj. that subdues grief.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > state of being consoled or relieved > [noun] > act, means, or source of consolation or relief > one who or that which consoles or relieves
comfortera1382
discharger?1537
consolatora1540
assuager1547
cheerer?1567
easera1592
tame-grief1606
lightener?1611
solacer1611
lenitive1614
swager1617
allayer1631
unbender1637
comfortable1650
alleviator1725
consoler1740
soother1780
reassurer1882
a shoulder to cry on1935
1606 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iii. 6 Soule's Remedie! O contrite heart's Restorer! Teares-wiping tame-grief!
tame-horse n. = tamer of horses (tr. Greek ἱππόδαμος).
ΚΠ
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads ii. 16 Sleepes the wise Atreus-tame-horse sonne?
tame-poison n. a name of Vincetoxicum officinale (also called Asclepias or Cynanchum Vincetoxicum), the root of which was used as an antidote to poisons.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > plants and herbs > according to family > Asclepiadaceae (milk-weed and allies) > [noun]
swallowwort1548
Asclepias1578
silken cicely1597
silkweed1784
tame-poison1785
milkweed1814
green milkweed1829
Hoodia1830
asclepiad1859
poke milkweed1890
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > medicines for specific purpose > antidote > [noun] > other antidotes > plant
tame-poison1785
1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. xvi. 223 Common Swallow-wort or Tame-poison..is supposed to be a powerful antidote to poisons.
1866 J. Lindley & T. Moore Treasury Bot. II. 1217 The root..was formerly in some repute as a medicine;..as an antidote to poisons—whence it has been named Contrayerva Germanorum and Tame-poison.
Derivatives
tamed adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > [adjective] > reduced to obedience
tamed1552
reclaimed1592
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Tamed, domesticus,..domitus.
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis ii. 32 Tamde men haue one saulfty.
ˈtaming adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > subjecting or subjugation > [adjective]
mastering1590
subduing1608
subjectionala1617
subordinatinga1635
subordinative1642
captivating1675
taming1697
subjecting1760
mancipating1819
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 103 Let 'em run at large; and never know The taming Yoak. View more context for this quotation
1836 J. H. Newman et al. Lyra Apost. 202 Time hath a taming hand!
1894 A. Whyte S. Rutherford xi. 87 Tamed and softened..by that taming and softening book.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
tamev.2
/teɪm/, U.S. /teɪm/ Now dialect.† 2. figurative. To enter upon, broach (a subject); to take upon oneself; to begin upon; begin to do something. Obsolete.† 3. To injure, hurt. Obsolete.
1. † b. To broach (a cask, bottle, etc.); also with the liquor as object. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To pierce, cut into (in fighting or carving); to cut or break into, so as to use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)] > puncture
through-stingeOE
wound?c1225
tamec1400
forpierce1413
punchc1425
traversea1522
punge1570
puncture1896
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > separation > action of dividing or divided condition > division by cutting > divide by cutting [verb (transitive)]
cutc1300
shed13..
tamec1400
to-carvec1400
discidea1513
share?1566
shred?1566
dissect1608
slit1638
disecta1690
sned1889
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > making holes or becoming holed > make (an opening or hole) [verb (transitive)] > make an opening or hole in or into > bore, pierce, or perforate > with something sharp-pointed
shearOE
sting993
stickOE
spita1225
wound?c1225
stitchc1230
pitcha1275
threstc1275
forprick1297
steekc1300
piercec1325
rivec1330
dag?a1400
jag?a1400
lancec1400
pickc1400
tamec1400
forpierce1413
punch1440
launch1460
thringc1485
empiercec1487
to-pierce1488
joba1500
ding1529
stob?1530
probe1542
enthrill1563
inthirlc1580
cloy1590
burt1597
pink1597
lancinate1603
perterebrate1623
puncture1675
spike1687
skiver1832
bepierce1840
gimlet1841
prong1848
javelin1859
the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > preparation for table or cooking > preparation of seafood > prepare seafood [verb (transitive)] > cut up or carve > crab
tame1508
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > open to use or a source
tap1575
broach1582
tame1642
to break out1840
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > cutting > cut [verb (transitive)]
snithec725
carvec1000
cutc1275
slitc1275
hag1294
ritc1300
chop1362
slash1382
cut and carvea1398
flash?a1400
flish?a1400
slenda1400
race?a1425
raise?a1425
razea1425
scotch?c1425
ochec1440
slitec1450
ranch?a1525
scorchc1550
scalp1552
mincea1560
rash?1565
beslash1581
fent1589
engrave1590
nick1592
snip1593
carbonado1596
rescide1598
skice1600
entail1601
chip1609
wriggle1612
insecate1623
carbonate1629
carbonade1634
insecta1652
flick1676
sneg1718
snick1728
slot1747
sneck1817
tame1847
bite-
c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 7405 Her woundes bledde, her flesch was tamet, The holest of hem ful sore was lamet.
1470–85 T. Malory Morte d'Arthur ii. xviii. 97 Balan..smote hym thorow the shelde and tamyd his helme.
1508 Bk. Keruynge (de Worde) sig. Av Tayme that crabbe.
1642 T. Fuller Holy State ii. xviii. 118 Then he tameth his stacks of corn, which..providence hath reserv'd for time of need.
1840 W. H. Ainsworth Tower of London xxxix In the old terms of his art, he leached the brawn,..tranched the sturgeon,..tamed the crab, and barbed the lobster.
1847 J. O. Halliwell Dict. Archaic & Provinc. Words II. 849/2 Tame, to cut; to divide. West.
1905 Eng. Dial. Dict. VI. 24/2 [S. Devon] We shall have to tame the rick.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being open or not closed > open [verb (transitive)] > open to use or a source > broach (a cask, etc.)
to set abroach1390
attame1393
abroachc1400
tame?a1412
broachc1440
to set a (on) broachc1440
strikea1616
tap1694
peg1721
spile1832
?a1412 J. Lydgate Fabula Duorum Merc. 701 Who that wil entren to tamen of the sweete, He mvst as weel..To taste the bittir.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 486/2 Tame, or attame vessellys wythe drynke.., attamino.
1483 Vulgaria abs Terencio (T. Rood & T. Hunte) sig. ovii I haue tamed or set a broche all my pypys or tunnys.
1681 W. Robertson Phraseologia generalis (1693) 1205 To tame a vessel, i.e. to tap or broach it.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > undertaking > beginning action or activity > begin or enter upon (an action) [verb (transitive)]
beginc1000
take?a1160
comsea1225
gina1325
commencec1330
tamec1386
to take upa1400
enterc1510
to stand to1567
incept1569
start1570
to set into ——1591
initiate1604
imprime1637
to get to ——1655
flesh1695
to start on ——1885
c1386 G. Chaucer Nun's Priest's Prol. (Harl.) 52 And right anoon he haþ his tale tamyd [v.r. attamed].
c1407 J. Lydgate Reson & Sensuallyte 5636 He wolde ha tamyd Tan [= t'han, i.e. to have] touched yonge Rosis new.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)]
derec888
marc1275
hurt1297
shond1338
teenc1380
offendc1425
tamec1430
wreakc1440
supprisea1450
mischiefc1450
mischieve1465
wringa1529
strikea1535
danger1538
bemarc1540
violate1551
damnify?a1562
injury1579
aggrievea1716
crock1846
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > damage > damage or injure [verb (transitive)]
mareOE
shendOE
hinderc1000
amarOE
awemc1275
noyc1300
touchc1300
bleche1340
blemisha1375
spill1377
misdoa1387
grieve1390
damagea1400
despoil?a1400
matea1400
snapea1400
mankc1400
overthrowa1425
tamec1430
undermine1430
blunder1440
depaira1460
adommage?1473
endamage1477
prejudicec1487
fulyie1488
martyra1500
dyscrase?1504
corrupt1526
mangle1534
danger1538
destroy1542
spoil1563
ruinate1564
ruin1567
wrake1570
injury1579
bane1587
massacre1589
ravish1594
wrong1595
rifle1604
tainta1616
mutilea1618
to do violence toa1625
flaw1665
stun1676
quail1682
maul1694
moil1698
damnify1712
margullie1721
maul1782
buga1790
mux1806
queer1818
batter1840
puckeroo1840
rim-rack1841
pretty1868
garbage1899
savage1899
to do in1905
strafe1915
mash1924
blow1943
nuke1967
mung1969
c1430 Hymns Virg. (1867) 55 Þouȝ ȝe drinke poisoun, it schal not ȝou tame.
c1450 Mirk's Festial 276 Þer was no clothe of hors, ny heere of hor hede ytamet wyth þe fyre.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1910; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.c888v.1c1315
v.2c1386