tarpaulin

From tar + pall (“heavy canvas”) + -ing.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /tɑˈpɔː.lɪn/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈtɑːɹpəlɪn/, /tɑɹˈpɔ.lɪn/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːlɪn

tarpaulin (countable and uncountable, plural tarpaulins)

1. (countable) A tarp, a heavy, waterproof sheet of material, often cloth, used as a cover or blanket.

   Throw a tarpaulin over that woodpile before it gets wet.

2. (countable, slang, archaic) A sailor.

   Synonym: tar

3. (uncountable, obsolete) Any heavy, waterproof material used as a cover.
4. (uncountable, nautical, obsolete) Canvas waterproofed with tar, used as a cover.
5. A hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others.

tarpaulin (third-person singular simple present tarpaulins, present participle tarpaulining, simple past and past participle tarpaulined)

1. To cover with a tarpaulin.
   • 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed‎:

     "Cover it up! Don't touch it!" said the Professor. So we tarpaulined it according to his instructions, and there it lies.

• In the US, tarp has been more common than tarpaulin in print since about 1990.[1] In speech since at least 1970.

• tarp
• paulin

• pall

• tarpaulin on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• unpartial