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Glite Dictionary
tanbark

tanbark

1 9.9
The bark of some trees used to make leather or spread on paths for a soft surface
  • noun
  • /ˈtænˌbɑrk/
  • Specialized
: corteza de tanino
  • They used tanbark from oak trees to tan the leather for their new jackets.

Examples

  • She pushed him forward with her legs and then with the whip, making him do it again until the half-circles and straight lines he cut in the tanbark of the ring were as crisp as she knew he was capable of. Then she brought him down to a walk and let him stretch out his head.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • If the street noises make me restless, see the tanbark's put down.

    The Heiress (1949)

  • This here rifle shoots like hell-beatin' tanbark. "Is that good?" Joyner asked.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The garden was covered in tanbark to prevent weeds and enhance its appearance.

  • After the storm, the playground was freshened up with new tanbark as a safe ground cover.

Compounds

tanbark oak
  • US
9.9

An evergreen tree with large leathery leaves whose bark is used to make leather

Surface Forms

tanbark singular
tanbarks plural

Morphology

tanbark = tan + bark (semi-transparent) = tan + bark

The compound literally combines 'tan' (to tan) + 'bark' (tree bark) so the origin is clear, but many learners may know 'tan' mainly as a colour and the specialized tanning sense or the modern use as playground covering may not be obvious.

Etymology

Tanbark mixes tan ('to make leather') and bark ('the outside of a tree'). The bark had natural chemicals that were used to 'tan' animal skins, and the leftover bark was later spread on paths and playgrounds, so tanbark means both the bark used for tanning and the bark used as a ground covering.