tact
- tact
\ \ [17] Tact originally denoted the ‘sense of touch’ (that is what Alexander Ross was referring to when he wrote ‘Of all the creatures, the sense of tact is most exquisite in man’, Arcana microcosmi 1651). But by the end of the 18th century it had evolved semantically via ‘refined faculty of perception’ to ‘skill in behaving or speaking with propriety or sensitivity’. It was acquired via French tact from Latin tactus ‘sense of touch’, a noun use of the past participle of tangere ‘touch’ (source of English contact, tangent, tangible, etc). Tactile [17], from the Latin derivative tactilis, preserves the original notion of ‘touching’.
\ \ Cf.⇒ CONTACT, CONTAGION, TACTILE, TANGENT, TANGIBLE
Word origins - 2ed.
J. Ayto.
2005.
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Look at other dictionaries:
tact — tact … Dictionnaire des rimes
tact — [ takt ] n. m. • 1354, repris v. 1570; lat. tactus, de tangere « toucher » 1 ♦ Vx Toucher. « Le plaisir du tact » (Voltaire). ♢ Mod. Physiol. Sens du toucher permettant d apprécier les divers stimulus mécaniques qui s exercent sur la peau et les… … Encyclopédie Universelle
TACT — son las siglas de Textual Analisys Computing Tools (Herramientas para el Análisis Computarizado de Textos) y corresponden a una sencilla y completa aplicación para el análisis textual de textos electrónicos. TACT está compuesto por varios… … Wikipedia Español
Tact — Tact, n. [L. tactus a touching, touch, fr. tangere, tactum, to touch: cf. F. tact. See {Tangent}.] 1. The sense of touch; feeling. [1913 Webster] Did you suppose that I could not make myself sensible to tact as well as sight? Southey. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
tact — tact, *address, poise, savoir faire can all mean the skill and grace with which a well bred person conducts himself in his relations with others. Tact stresses skill and consider ateness in one s association with or handling of others, whether… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
Tact — is careful consideration in dealing with others to avoid giving offense. Tact may also refer to:* Tact (psychology), term used by B.F. Skinner * Tact Meyers, a fictional character in the manga series Galaxy Angel * TACT Records, Israeli record… … Wikipedia
Tact — Tact, die Bewegung nach einem bestimmten Maße überhaupt, wie beim Gehen, Tanzen etc., – in der Musik das Maß, wodurch die Tonreihen als. Zeitgrößen in gleiche Abschnitte zerfallen, dann diese einzelnen Abtheilungen selbst, sowie auch die… … Damen Conversations Lexikon
tact — TACT. s. m. Le toucher, l attouchement, celuy des cinq sens par lequel on connoist ce qui est chaud ou froid, dur ou mol, uni ou raboteux. Le tact est le moins subtil de tous les sens. cela se connoist au tact … Dictionnaire de l'Académie française
tact — [takt] n. [Fr < L tactus, pp. of tangere, to touch < IE base * tag , to touch, grasp > OE thaccian, to stroke] 1. Archaic the sense of touch 2. delicate perception of the right thing to say or do without offending; skill in dealing with… … English World dictionary
tact — [tækt] n [U] [Date: 1600 1700; : French; Origin: sense of touch , from Latin tactus, from tangere to touch ] the ability to be careful about what you say or do, so that you do not upset or embarrass other people →↑tactful, tactless ↑tactless ▪… … Dictionary of contemporary English
tact — (n.) 1650s, sense of touch or feeling (with an isolated instance from c.1200), from L. tactus touch, feeling, handling, sense of touch, from root of tangere to touch (see TANGENT (Cf. tangent)). Meaning sense of discernment, diplomacy, etc. first … Etymology dictionary
