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The word tarry has no connection at all with any word in Latin. It is from Middle English tarien, meaning to irritate or to hinder or obstruct. This in turn comes from Old English tergan, meaning to provoke or irritate - its distant origins are therefore from the ancient Germanic dialects of north Germany and southern Denmark.

The use of tarry to mean "to delay or loiter" is relatively modern and American in origin; this has led to the incorrect impression that it is linked to Latin tardo, meaning "I delay", but there is no such link.

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14y ago

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