# tanner

Pronunciation: US say "TAN-ur" /ˈtænɚ/; UK say "TAN-uh" /ˈtænə/

## Noun

1. A person whose job is turning animal hides into leather, usually by treating them with tannin from bark.
   - Simple: A worker who turns animal skins into leather.
   - _The tanner stretched the treated hide across a wooden frame to dry._
   - _Medieval tanners often set up shop downstream because the work smelled so foul._
2. A person who applies a tan to someone's skin, especially a spray tan.
   - Simple: A person who puts a tan on someone's skin, often by spraying it on.
   - _The tanner adjusted the spray gun before working on the client's legs._
   - _Professional tanners blend the solution to match each person's natural skin tone._
4. A former British coin worth six old pence in the pre-decimal currency. *(colloquial, British)*
   - Simple: An old British coin worth six pennies, used before the money changed in 1971.
   - _He slipped the boy a tanner to carry his bags up the stairs._
   - _Two tanners would just about cover a seat at the pictures back then._
5. Any of several long-legged spider crabs of the genus Chionoecetes, especially the species fished commercially in cold northern waters.
   - Simple: A type of long-legged ocean crab caught in cold seas for its meat.
   - _The trawler's hold filled with tanner during the short Bering Sea season._
   - _Tanners molt their shells as they grow, leaving them soft and vulnerable for a time._
6. A long-horned beetle of the species Prionus coriarius, with long segmented antennae.
   - Simple: A big dark beetle with very long feelers, found in old trees.
   - _A tanner emerged from the old oak stump at dusk._
   - _Tanners lay their eggs in decaying wood, where the larvae feed for years._

## Adjective

3. Comparative form of tan. — comparative form of tan: more tan
   - Simple: Comparative of tan. Use it to say something has more of a tan color or skin.
   - _His face was noticeably tanner than the rest of his body._
   - _The curtains came out tanner than expected after weeks in the bright window._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 6** — From Middle English 'tannere', from Old English 'tannere' and Old French 'tannour', equivalent to 'tan' plus the suffix '-er'.
**Meaning 4** — Named after John Sigismund Tanner (1705–1775), who designed a sixpence for the Royal Mint during the reign of King George II.
**Meaning 5** — Probably from the taxonomic eponym 'tanneri' in the species name Chionoecetes tanneri, named after American naval officer Zera Luther Tanner (1835–1906).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tanner (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).