Tape

How to spell tape

4 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce tape

What does tape mean?

1. nounA narrow strip of material, often sticky or used for measuring, binding, or recording.
2. verbTo fasten, bind, or record something using tape.

Tape in a sentence

• noun

  He sealed the box with a length of strong tape.

• verb

  Please tape the notice to the office door.

• noun

  The builder measured the wall with a steel tape.

• verb

  They decided to tape the meeting for later review.

Where does tape come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the Old English tæppe, which referred to a narrow strip of cloth or a band used for tying or binding. Its deeper origins are uncertain, though it may be connected to similar words for strips and ribbons found in other Germanic languages. For centuries it simply meant a thin woven strip, the kind sewn into garments or used to fasten parcels. The meaning broadened enormously in the twentieth century, first to the sticky strips of adhesive tape and then to the long ribbons of magnetic tape used to record sound and video. The spelling has stayed pleasingly simple, with the silent final 'e' marking the long vowel, so the chief value of the word here is as a clean, regular anchor among trickier spellings.

How the word is built

• tape (a single root word, from Old English tæppe: a narrow strip or band)