# tarpaulin

> English word · Noun · IPA /tɑˈpɔː.lɪn/ · frequency rank #61,149

## Definitions
1. A heavy, waterproof sheet of material, often cloth or plastic sheet, used as a cover or blanket (often as weatherproofing, or to keep loose cargo from blowing off a lorry).
2. Canvas waterproofed with tar, used as a cover.
3. A hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth, worn by sailors and others.
4. A sailor.

## Etymology
From tar + pall (“heavy canvas”) + -ing. The sailor sense reflects that sailors of centuries past often wore garments made of tarred cloth (for weatherproofing).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/tarpaulin