*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tat

From Hindi टाट (ṭāṭ, “thick canvas”).

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

Cheap and vulgar tastelessness; sleaze. · Cheap, tasteless, useless goods; trinkets. · Gunny cloth made from the fibre of the Corchorus olitorius (jute).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Hindi टाट (ṭāṭ, “thick canvas”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "टाट",
        "gloss": "thick canvas"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi टाट (ṭāṭ, “thick canvas”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "टाट",
      "टाट#Hindi"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Cheap and vulgar tastelessness; sleaze.",
        "Cheap, tasteless, useless goods; trinkets.",
        "Gunny cloth made from the fibre of the Corchorus olitorius (jute)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "uncountable",
        "India",
        "countable"
      ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of tatting.

verb

To make (something by) tatting.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Unknown. Perhaps the same as etymology 1, above, or perhaps a back-formation from tatting. Attested since the 19th century.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    },
    {
      "name": "back-form",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tatting",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "back-formation from tatting"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tatting",
      "tatting#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of tatting."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping"
      ],
      "recordId": "14c80f9f661c144909ee4ce6813b60b1a5ef1b0b1246565666b023e10809c751",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 233964
    },
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To make (something by) tatting."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A pony.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Hindi टट्टू (ṭaṭṭū, “pony”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hi",
        "3": "टट्टू",
        "gloss": "pony"
      },
      "expansion": "Hindi टट्टू (ṭaṭṭū, “pony”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "टट्टू",
      "टट्टू#Hindi"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A pony."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "India",
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "831d293c70a9aa9f5de36e71cbe0c7deea113e640366b4f11b9bc2830c580536",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 233965
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}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A tattoo.

verb

To apply a tattoo.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of tattoo; see further etymology there.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "tattoo"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of tattoo"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "tattoo",
      "tattoo#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A tattoo."
      ],
      "tags": [
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      ],
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    },
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        "To apply a tattoo."
      ],
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        "slang",
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      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for tat →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-dGF0