tie-in (n.) Look up tie-in at Dictionary.com
"connection," 1934, from verbal phrase (attested by 1793), from tie (v.) + in (adv.).
tier (n.) Look up tier at Dictionary.com
tierce (n.) Look up tierce at Dictionary.com
old unit of liquid measure equal to one-third of a pipe (42 gallons), 1530s, from Anglo-French ters, Old French tierce (11c.). used in the sense "one-third" in various ways, from Latin tertia, fem. of tertius "a third," from PIE *tri-tyo-, from root *trei- (see three). Also used in Middle English for "a third part" (late 15c.), "the third hour of the canonical day" (ending at 9 a.m.), late 14c., and, in astronomy and geometry, "sixtieth part of a second of an arc."
tiff (n.) Look up tiff at Dictionary.com
1727, "outburst of temper," later "petty quarrel" (1754), of uncertain origin; OED suggests imitative, "from the sound of a slight puff of air or gas."
tiffany (n.) Look up tiffany at Dictionary.com
"type of thin, transparent fabric," c. 1600; earlier a common name for the festival of the Epiphany (early 14c.; in Anglo-French from late 13c.), from Old French Tifinie, Tiphanie "Epiphany" (c. 1200), from Late Latin Theophania "Theophany," another name for the Epiphany, from Greek theophania "the manifestation of a god" (see theophany).

Also popular in Old French and Middle English as a name given to girls born on Epiphany Day. The fabric sense is found only in English and is of obscure origin and uncertain relation to the other meanings, unless "holiday silk" or as a fanciful or playful allusion to "manifestation:"
The invention of that fine silke, Tiffanie, Sarcenet, and Cypres, which instead of apparell to cover and hide, shew women naked through them. [Holland's "Pliny," 1601]
The fashionable N.Y. jewelry firm Tiffany & Co. (1895) is named for its founder, goldsmith Charles L. Tiffany (1812-1902) and his son, Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933), who was the art nouveau decorator noted for his glassware. The surname is attested in English from 1206.
tig (n.) Look up tig at Dictionary.com
child's game, 1816, earlier tick (1620s), variant of tag (n.2).
tiger (n.) Look up tiger at Dictionary.com
tight (adj.) Look up tight at Dictionary.com
c. 1400, tyght "dense, close, compact," from Middle English thight, from Old Norse þettr "watertight, close in texture, solid," and also from Old English -þiht (compare second element in meteþiht "stout from eating"), both from Proto-Germanic *thinhta- (cognates: Middle High German dihte "dense, thick," German dicht "dense, tight," Old High German gidigan, German gediegen "genuine, solid, worthy"), from PIE root *tenk- (2) "to become firm, curdle, thicken" (cognates: Irish techt "curdled, coagulated," Lithuanian tankus "close, tight," Persian tang "tight," Sanskrit tanakti "draws together, contracts").

Sense of "drawn, stretched" is from 1570s; meaning "fitting closely" (as of garments) is from 1779; that of "evenly matched" (of a contest, bargain, etc.) is from 1828, American English; that of "drunk" is from 1830. Of persons, "close, intimate, sympathetic" from 1956. From 1670s as an adverb; to sit tight is from 1738; sleep tight as a salutation in sending someone off to bed is by 1871. Related: Tightly; tightness. Tight-assed "unwilling to relax" is attested from 1903. Tight-laced is recorded from 1741 in both the literal and figurative senses. Tight-lipped is first attested 1872.
tighten (v.) Look up tighten at Dictionary.com
"to make tight," 1727; the earlier verb was simply tight, from Old English tyhtan, from the root of tight. Related: Tightened; tightening.
tightrope (n.) Look up tightrope at Dictionary.com
1801, from tight (adj.) + rope (n.). So called for being tensely stretched.
tights (n.) Look up tights at Dictionary.com
1827, "tight-fitting breeches," from tight. Meaning "skin-tights worn by dancers, acrobats, etc." is attested from 1836.
tightwad (n.) Look up tightwad at Dictionary.com
"parsimonious person," 1900, from tight in the figurative sense of "close-fisted" (1805) + wad (n.). The notions of stringency and avarice also combine in Modern Greek sphiktos "greedy," literally "tight."
tigress (n.) Look up tigress at Dictionary.com
1610s, from tiger + -ess.
Tigris Look up Tigris at Dictionary.com
river in Turkey and Iraq, from an Iranian source akin to words for "arrow," probably in reference to the swiftness of its current. Compare Old Persian tigra- "sharp, pointed," Avestan tighri- "arrow."
Tijuana Look up Tijuana at Dictionary.com
from the name of a Diegueño (Yuman) village, written Tiajuan in 1829; deformed by folk-etymology association with Spanish Tia Juana "Aunt Jane."
Tiki (n.) Look up Tiki at Dictionary.com
"large wooden image of the creator-ancestor of Maoris and Polynesians," 1777, from Eastern Polynesian tiki "image." Tiki torch is first recorded 1973.
til Look up til at Dictionary.com
variant of till (prep.) or short for until.
tilapia (n.) Look up tilapia at Dictionary.com
1849, formed in Modern Latin, perhaps from Greek tilon, name of a fish in Aristotle, + apios "distant."
tilde (n.) Look up tilde at Dictionary.com
1864, from Spanish, metathesis of Catalan title, from vernacular form of Medieval Latin titulus "stroke over an abridged word to indicate missing letters," a specialized sense of Latin titulus, literally "inscription, heading" (see title (n.)). The mark itself represents an -n- and was used in Medieval Latin manuscripts in an abridged word over a preceding letter to indicate a missing -n- and save space.
tile (n.) Look up tile at Dictionary.com
early 14c., from Old English tigele "roofing shingle," from Proto-Germanic *tegala (Old Saxon tiegla, Old High German ziagal, German ziegel, Dutch tegel, Old Norse tigl), a borrowing from Latin tegula "roof-tile" (source also of Italian tegola, French tuile), from tegere "roof, to cover" (see stegosaurus). Also used in Old English and early Middle English for "brick," before that word came into use.
tile (v.) Look up tile at Dictionary.com
"to cover with tiles," late 14c., from tile (n.). Related: Tiled; tiling.
till (prep.) Look up till at Dictionary.com
"until," Old English til (Northumbrian) "to," from Old Norse til "to, until," from Proto-Germanic *tilan (cognates: Danish til, Old Frisian til "to, till," Gothic tils "convenient," German Ziel "limit, end, goal"). A common preposition in Scandinavian, serving in the place of English to, probably originally the accusative case of a noun now lost except for Icelandic tili "scope," the noun used to express aim, direction, purpose (as in aldrtili "death," literally "end of life"). Also compare German Ziel "end, limit, point aimed at, goal," and till (v.).
till (v.) Look up till at Dictionary.com
"cultivate (land)" early 13c.; "plow," late 14c., from Old English tilian "cultivate, tend, work at, get by labor," originally "strive after, aim at, aspire to," related to till "fixed point, goal," and til "good, useful, suitable," from Proto-Germanic *tilojan (cognates: Old Frisian tilia "to get, cultivate," Old Saxon tilian "to obtain," Middle Dutch, Dutch telen "to breed, raise, cultivate, cause," Old High German zilon "to strive," German zielen "to aim, strive"), from source of till (prep.).

For sense development, compare expression work the land, Old Norse yrkja "work," but especially "cultivate" (and also "to make verses"); Old Church Slavonic delati "work," also "cultivate." Related: Tilled; tilling.
till (n.) Look up till at Dictionary.com
"cashbox," mid-15c., from Anglo-French tylle "compartment," Old French tille "compartment, shelter on a ship," probably from Old Norse þilja "plank, floorboard," from Proto-Germanic *theljon. The other theory [Klein, Century Dictionary] is that the word is from Middle English tillen "to draw," from Old English -tyllan (see toll (v.)), with a sense evolution as in drawer (see draw (v.)).
tillage (n.) Look up tillage at Dictionary.com
late 15c., from till (v.) + -age.
tiller (n.1) Look up tiller at Dictionary.com
mid-14c., "stock of a crossbow," from Old French telier "stock of a crossbow" (c. 1200), originally "weaver's beam," from Medieval Latin telarium, from Latin tela "web; loom," from PIE *teks-la-, from root *teks- "to weave" (see texture (n.)). Meaning "bar to turn the rudder of a boat" first recorded 1620s.
tiller (n.2) Look up tiller at Dictionary.com
"one who tills," mid-13c., from till (v.).
tilt (n.1) Look up tilt at Dictionary.com
"a joust, a combat," 1510s, perhaps from tilt (v.1) on the notion of "to lean" into an attack, but the word originally seems to have been the name of the barrier which separated the combatants, which suggests connection with tilt in an earlier meaning "covering of coarse cloth, an awning" (mid-15c.). This is perhaps from tilt (v.1), or related to or influenced by tent. Watkins derives it from Old English teld "awning, tent," related to beteldan "to cover," from Proto-Germanic *teldam "thing spread out." Hence, also full tilt (c. 1600). Pinball machine sense is from 1934.
tilt (v.1) Look up tilt at Dictionary.com
Old English *tyltan "to be unsteady," from tealt "unsteady," from Proto-Germanic *taltaz (cognates: Old Norse tyllast "to trip," Swedish tulta "to waddle," Norwegian tylta "to walk on tip-toe," Middle Dutch touteren "to swing"). Meaning "to cause to lean, tip, slope" (1590s) is from sense of "push or fall over." Intransitive sense "to lean, tip" first recorded 1620s. Related: Tilted; tilting.
tilt (n.2) Look up tilt at Dictionary.com
"condition of being tilted," 1837, from tilt (v.1).
tilt (v.2) Look up tilt at Dictionary.com
"to joust," 1590s, from tilt (n.1). Related: Tilted; tilting. The figurative sense of tilting at windmills is suggested in English by 1798; the image is from Don Quixote, who mistook them for giants.
So saying, and heartily recommending himself to his lady Dulcinea, whom he implored to succour him in this emergency, bracing on his target, and setting his lance in the rest, he put his Rozinante to full speed, and assaulting the nearest windmill, thrust it into one of the sails, which was drove about by the wind with so much fury, that the lance was shivered to pieces, and both knight and steed whirled aloft, and overthrown in very bad plight upon the plain. [Smollett translation, 1755]
tilth (n.) Look up tilth at Dictionary.com
"labor, work" (especially in agriculture), Old English tilþ "labor, husbandry," from tilian "to till" (see till (v.)) + -th (2).
timber (n.) Look up timber at Dictionary.com
Old English timber "building, structure," in late Old English "building material, trees suitable for building," and "trees or woods in general," from Proto-Germanic *timran (cognates: Old Saxon timbar "a building, room," Old Frisian timber "wood, building," Old High German zimbar "timber, wooden dwelling, room," Old Norse timbr "timber," German Zimmer "room"), from PIE *deme- "to build," possibly from root *dem- "house, household" (source of Greek domos, Latin domus; see domestic (adj.)).

The related Old English verb timbran, timbrian was the chief word for "to build" (compare Dutch timmeren, German zimmern). As a call of warning when a cut tree is about to fall, it is attested from 1912 in Canadian English. Timbers in the nautical slang sense (see shiver (v.2)) is from the specialized meaning "pieces of wood composing the frames of a ship's hull" (1748).

The timber-wolf (1846) of the U.S. West is the gray wolf, not confined to forests but so-called to distinguish it from the prairie-wolf (coyote).
timberline (n.) Look up timberline at Dictionary.com
1867, from timber + line (n.).
timbre (n.) Look up timbre at Dictionary.com
timbrel (n.) Look up timbrel at Dictionary.com
percussive Middle Eastern instrument, c. 1500, diminutive of timbre (14c.), from Old French timbre in its older sense of "drum" (see timbre). Used in Bible translations, chiefly to render Hebrew toph, cognate with Arabic duff "drum," of imitative origin.
Timbuktu Look up Timbuktu at Dictionary.com
city on the southern edge of the Sahara desert, older spelling Timbuctoo, used allusively in English for "most distant place imaginable" from at least 1863. The name is from Songhai, literally "hollow," in reference to the depression in which it stands.
time (v.) Look up time at Dictionary.com
time (n.) Look up time at Dictionary.com


time zone (n.) Look up time zone at Dictionary.com

time-honored (adj.) Look up time-honored at Dictionary.com
also time-honoured, 1590s; from time (n.) + past participle of honor (v.).
time-keeper (n.) Look up time-keeper at Dictionary.com
also timekeeper, 1680s, from time (n.) + keeper.
time-line (n.) Look up time-line at Dictionary.com
also timeline, 1876, from time (n.) + line (n.).
time-out (n.) Look up time-out at Dictionary.com
also time out, 1896 in sports, 1939 in other occupations; from 1980 as the name of a strategy in child discipline; from time + out.
time-server (n.) Look up time-server at Dictionary.com
"one who adapts his manners and opinions to the times," 1580s, from expression serve the time "shape one's views to what is in favor" (1550s), translating Latin tempori servire. See time (n.) + serve (v.).
time-sharing (n.) Look up time-sharing at Dictionary.com
1953, as a computing term, from time (n.) + verbal noun from share (v.). In real estate, as an arrangement in property use, it is recorded from 1976.
time-span (n.) Look up time-span at Dictionary.com
also timespan, 1897, from time (n.) + span (n.1).
time-stamp (n.) Look up time-stamp at Dictionary.com
1888, from time (n.) + stamp (n.). As a verb by 1906. Related: Time-stamped.
time-worn (adj.) Look up time-worn at Dictionary.com
1729, from time (n.) + worn (adj.).
timeless (adj.) Look up timeless at Dictionary.com
"eternal," 1620s, from time (n.) + -less. Earlier it meant "ill-timed" (1550s). Related: Timelessly; timelessness.