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tarmac

noun
/ˈtɑː(ɹ)mæk/

Etymology

Clipping of tarmacadam, which is from tar + macadam (“crushed stones”). Originally a trademark owned by its inventor, Edgar Hooley.

  1. derived from Mac Àdhaimh
  2. compounded as tarmac — “tar + macadam”

Definitions

  1. Tarmacadam.

  2. Any bituminous road surfacing material.

  3. The driveable surface of a road.

  4. ›+ 3 more definitions

    1. The area of an airport, other than the runway, where planes park or maneuver.

    2. To pave with tarmacadam or a similar material.

      • To your left is a green lane, partly tarmacked with chippings, which leads up to a little car-parking area.
      • Residents in Bolton are angry after workmen tarmaced only one half of their road leaving the other half strewn with potholes.

    3. To spend time idling on a runway, usually waiting for takeoff clearance.

      • "It is not unusual these days for the time spent tarmacking to exceed the time spent in the air, " said Senator John Danforth, R-Mo.

The neighborhood

Derived

retarmac, untarmacked

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for tarmac. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA