'Tan vat' definitions:

Definition of 'Tan vat'

From: GCIDE
  • Tan \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. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. A yellowish-brown color, like that of tan. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. A brown color imparted to the skin by exposure to the sun; as, hands covered with tan. [1913 Webster]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]