Tan, n. [F. tan, perhaps fr. Armor. tann an oak, oak bar; or of Teutonic origin; cf. G. tanne a fir, OHG. tanna a fir, oak, MHG. tan a forest. Cf. Tawny.] 1. The bark of the oak, and some other trees, bruised and broken by a mill, for tanning hides; — so called both before and after it has been used. Called also tan bark.
2. A yellowish-brown color, like that of tan.
3. A brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun; as, hands covered with tan.
Tan bed(Hort.), a bed made of tan; a bark bed. — Tan pickle, the liquor used in tanning leather. — Tan spud, a spud used in stripping bark for tan from trees. — Tan stove. See Bark stove, under Bark. — Tan vat, a vat in which hides are steeped in liquor with tan.