tar¹ (tär)
n.

1. A dark, oily, viscous material, consisting mainly of hydrocarbons, produced by the destructive distillation of organic substances such as wood, coal, or peat.
2. Coal tar.
3. A solid residue of tobacco smoke containing byproducts of combustion.

tr.v., tarred, tar·ring, tars.
To coat with or as if with tar.

idioms:

tar and feather

1. To punish (a person) by covering with tar and feathers.
2. To criticize severely and devastatingly; excoriate.

tarred with the same brush

1. Having the same faults or bad qualities.

[Middle English, from Old English teru.]

tar² (tär)
n. Informal
A sailor.

[Possibly short for TARPAULIN.]

---

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

---