rhizoverbBeta
DictionarytanLight brown color
noun / adjective / verb

tan

TAN/tˈæn/

A light brown coloration.

The forearm's light tan contrasts with the pale watchband mark.

A naturally fair adult forearm shows a light tan beside a watch's pale band line.
Etymology
tanLatincrushed oak bark

Latin tannum was crushed oak bark used to turn hides into leather. The resulting leather color supplied the comparison for skin browned by sunlight, giving tan its sun-exposure sense.

In context

TED2:30
Our skin has a defense system. When it's exposed to UV, our melanocytes release more melanin and we get a tan.
5 Skin Health Myths to Stop Believing Now | Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter

More examples

  • She chooses a pale tan for the bedroom walls.
  • His summer tan fades during the winter.
  • My skin tans easily in the summer sun.

Forms

tan · tans · tanned · tanning · tanner · tannest

Similar words

beige
Usually paler and more grayish than tan.
tawny
More strongly yellow or orange than tan.