Origin of taper
1
before 900; Middle English: wax candle, Old English, variant of
tapur, dissimilated variant of
*papur
paper
historical usage of taper
English
taper has no relatives in other languages. In Old English,
tapur, tapor meant “candle, candlewick.”
Tapur may possibly be a dissimilated form of Latin
papȳrus “papyrus plant, papyrus, paper,” sometimes used as a candlewick. Alternatively, the Old English form could be of Celtic origin, akin to Irish
tapar and Welsh
tampr “a taper, a torch,” from a Proto-Indo-European root
tep- “to be warm,” source of Latin
tepidus “lukewarm” (English
tepid ).
A taper is a candle that narrows at one end. The corresponding verb sense “to narrow gradually toward one end” appeared in the very early 17th century; the related figurative sense “to gradually decrease or diminish” dates from the mid-19th century.
A taper is a candle that narrows at one end. The corresponding verb sense “to narrow gradually toward one end” appeared in the very early 17th century; the related figurative sense “to gradually decrease or diminish” dates from the mid-19th century.
OTHER WORDS FROM taper
ta·per·er, noun ta·per·ing·ly, adverb un·ta·pered, adjective un·ta·per·ing, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH taper
taper tapirWords nearby taper
Example sentences from the Web for tapering
British Dictionary definitions for tapering
taper
/ (ˈteɪpə) /
verb
to become or cause to become narrower towards one end
the spire tapers to a point
(often foll by off)
to become or cause to become smaller or less significant
noun
Derived forms of taper
taperer, noun tapering, adjective taperingly, adverbWord Origin for taper
Old English
tapor, probably from Latin
papӯrus
papyrus (from its use as a wick)