TAB 



703 



TAR 



PiAmcmarics. All the species have eight 

 eyes, of which three on each side form a 

 triangle, and two near the middle of the 

 anterior margin are placed on a tubercle 

 on each side. They are all confined to 

 the hottest portions of America and Asia, 

 and are now divided into two subgenera, 

 Phrynus, Ollivier, and Thelyphonus, La- 



treille. 2. The tarentula (q.v.). It is 



from the tarentula or tarantula that the 

 genus is named ; although this is a 

 species of a different genus of spider. See 

 TARENTDLA. 



TARDIO'RADA. The name of a family of 

 tardigrade animals, of the order Eden- 

 tata, Lin. The only existing genus is 

 the Eradyptu, or Sloth. 



TAR'DIGRADE, from tardus, slow, and 

 gradus, step : slow-paced. Applied in 

 natural history. 



TAR'DO. A term in Italian music to 

 denote a slow movement similar to largo. 

 TARE. 1. In commerce, an abatement, 

 or deduction, made from the weight of a 

 parcel of goods, on account of the weight 

 of the chest, cask, bag, &c., in which they 

 are contained. The real tare is the actual 

 weight of the box, bag, &c. contain- 

 ing the goods ; the customary tare is the 

 supposed weight of such package, accord- 

 ing to the custom of the trade ; the aver- 

 age tare is the medium allowance, esti- 

 mated by taking the real tare of a few of 



the packages. 2. In botany, a plant, 



the vicia sativa, much cultivated in Eng- 

 land for its stem and leaves, which are 

 used as fodder; and also for its seed, 

 which is much used for feeding poultry. 

 It is also called vetch, and sometimes^tc/t, 

 by farmers. 



TAR'ENTISM. The disease produced by. 

 the bite of the tarentula. 



TAREN'TULA. A species of spider, be- 

 longing to the genus Lycosa, (Latr.). It is 

 one of the largest of the Lycosae ; and the 

 poisonous nature of its bite is thought to 

 produce the most serious consequences, 

 being followed by tarentism, a disease 

 which was reckoned susceptible of relief 

 only by dancing to the sound of a flute, 

 or other musical instrument, till the 

 patient fell down quite exhausted. This 

 affection once prevailed in Italy to such 

 an extent as to constitute an epidemic 

 mania, which, like St. Vitus's dance, 

 seems to have originated in morbid ima- 

 gination, and to have been kept up by 

 quackery. The real effects of the bite of 

 the tarentula, as ascertained by modern 

 experiment, are very similar to those of 

 the common scorpion. The animal takes 

 its name from the city of Tarentum, now 

 Toronto, in the kingdom of Naples, 

 and in the environs of which it is com- 

 mon. 



TAR'QTJM. The title of a paraphrase, 

 o translation, of the Pentateuch, in the 



Chaldee language. The word is strictly 

 Chaldaic, and means interpretation. 



TAR'IFF, Fr. tarif; It. tariffa ; Sp. 

 tar if a, a book of rates or prices. A table, 

 alphabetically arranged, specifying the 

 various duties, drawbacks, bounties, &c., 

 charged and allowed on the importation 

 and exportation of articles of foreign and 

 domestic produce. 



TARPAU'LIN, ) A piece of canvass, well 



TARPAW'LING. / daubed with tar, used 



i cover the hatchways at sea^to prevent 



the penetration of the rain or sea- water, 



which may at times rush over the decks. 



TARPE'IAN. An appellation given to a 

 steep rock, at Rome, from which, by the 

 law of the twelve tables, those guilty of 

 certain crimes were precipitated. It was 

 named after Tarpeia, the daughter of 

 Tarpeius, the governor of the citadel of 

 Rome, who promised to open the gates 

 to the Sabines, provided they gave her 

 their gold bracelets. 



TAR'RASS, TER'RASS, TRASS. A volcanic 

 product, resembling puzzolana, used as a 

 water cement. The tarrass mortar is 

 made by covering a previously prepared 

 mass of quick-lime with an equal quantity 

 of powdered tarrass, and beating the 

 composition together with water. It is 

 highly durable in water. 



TAR'SUS, rctf/ros. 1. The instep, or 

 that part of the foot which is between 

 the leg and the metatarsus : it is com- 

 posed of seven bones, viz., the astragalus, 

 os calcis, os naviculare, os cuboides, and 



three ossa cuneiformia. 2. The thin 



cartilage situated at the edges of the 

 eyelids, to preserve their firmness and 

 shape. 



TAR'TAN. In navigation, a small coast- 

 ing vessel of the Mediterranean, with 

 one mast, a bowsprit, and a large lateen 

 sail. 



TAR'TAR, Lat. tartarum, from rTos, 

 infernal. 1. The concretion which fixes 

 to the inside of hogsheads containing 

 wine: named also argal, or argol. It is 

 the crude bitartrate of potash, which 

 exists in the juice of the grape, precipi- 

 tated during the fermentation, in pro- 

 portion as the alcohol is formed, in conse- 

 quence of its insolubility in that liquid. 

 It is white or red, according as it is let 

 fall by white or red wine. When puri- 

 fied, it forms cream of tartar, or pure 



bitartrate of potash. 2. The earthy 



substance which in some cases deposits 

 upon the human teeth from the saliva. 



3. In pharmacy, an old name for any 



preparation containing tartaric acid. 



TARTAR'IC ACID. The acid of tartar, 

 which may be procured in needle-like or 

 laminated crystals from its solutions. Its 

 taste is very acid and agreeable, so that 

 it may supply the place of lemon juice 



