Added 9 October 2026
tame
/teɪm/ verb
In Latin: mānsuēs, mānsuētus, cicur Wiktionary
verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about tame at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Correct by punishment or discipline.
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Make less strong or intense; soften.
Tone down that aggressive letter
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Adapt (a wild plant or unclaimed land) to the environment.
domesticate oats
adjective
- Flat and uninspiring.
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Very restrained or quiet.
a tame Christmas party
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Brought from wildness into a domesticated state.
tame animals
Origin
From Middle English tame, tome, weak inflection forms of Middle English tam, tom, from Old English tam, tom (“domesticated, tame”), from Proto-West Germanic *tam (“tame”), from Proto-Germanic *tamaz (“brought into the home, tame”), from Proto-Indo-European *demh₂- (“to tame, dominate”). Cognate with Scots tam, tame (“tame”), Saterland Frisian tom (“tame”), West Frisian tam (“tame”), Dutch tam (“tame”), Low German Low German tamm, tahm (“tame”), German zahm (“tame”), Danish tam (“tame”), Swedish tam (“tame”), Icelandic tamur (“tame”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)