Tack
/tæk/noun
A small sharp nail or fastener, or to attach something with such a fastener.
Did you know?The English word shares a deep Germanic root with words for nails and spikes, and its later nautical use grew from the idea of “fixing” a ship’s course by turning its sails toward the wind.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*takō / *takkō
“a nail, peg, or spike”
Old English
OE
tæc / tæcc
“a nail, tack, or small fastening pin”
Middle English
ME
tak
“a small nail or fastening; later also a sailor’s maneuver”
15th Century
English
tacke
“a fastening nail; to fasten or attach”
Modern English
English
tack
“a small nail, pin, or fastening; also a nautical maneuver or to attach with small fasteners”