'Tarpaulin' definitions:

Definition of 'tarpaulin'

From: WordNet
noun
Waterproofed canvas [syn: tarpaulin, tarp]

Definition of 'Tarpaulin'

From: GCIDE
  • Tarpaulin \Tar*pau"lin\, n. [Tar + palling a covering, pall to cover. See Pall a covering.]
  • 1. A piece of canvas covered with tar or a waterproof composition, used for covering the hatches of a ship, hammocks, boats, etc. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. A hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. Hence, a sailor; a seaman; a tar. [1913 Webster]
  • To a landsman, these tarpaulins, as they were called, seemed a strange and half-savage race. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]