tarry

Tarry is an English word with two principal meanings as an adjective and a verb. As an adjective, tarry describes something that is made of tar or has the appearance or feel of tar: sticky, viscous, dark, or oily. It is used to characterize surfaces or substances that resemble tar or are coated with tar, such as a tarry residue on boots or a tarry road.

As a verb, tarry means to delay or linger, to stay in a place longer than intended or to wait. To tarry is to bide one’s time rather than proceed. This usage is now mostly literary or archaic in modern English.

The word is of long-standing English origin. The noun tar refers to the sticky substance obtained from coal or wood, and tarry as an adjective is formed from tar with the adjectival suffix -y. The verb sense to delay likely arose from the sense of sticking or adhering in place, giving the idea of staying put, though the exact historical development is not clearly documented.

In usage, tarry as a verb is typically found in older texts or in biblical or poetic registers. In contemporary prose, writers may use tarry to evoke a traditional or ceremonial tone, as in tarry awhile or tarrying at the gate.

See also: tar, bitumen, stickiness, delay, linger.