tame

Meaning

Adj

1. Accustomed to human contact.
2. Docile or tranquil towards humans.
3. (figuratively) Of a person, well-behaved; not radical or extreme.
4. (obsolete) Of a non-Westernised person, accustomed to European society.
5. Not exciting.
6. Crushed; subdued; depressed; spiritless.
7. Capable of being represented as a finite closed polygonal chain.

Verb

1. (transitive) To make (an animal) tame; to domesticate.
2. (transitive) To make submissive or docile.
3. (transitive) To take control of something that is unruly.
4. (intransitive) To become tame or domesticated.
5. (transitive) To make gentle or meek.

Verb

To broach or enter upon; to taste, as a liquor; to divide; to distribute; to deal out.

Opposite of

exciting, wild

Synonyms

domesticate

docile

domesticated

subdue

domestic

train

🚋

gentle

cultivate

reclaim

mild

subjugate

meek

tender

tone down

quiet

civilize

obedient

calm

domesticise

domesticize

quell

break in

educate

moderate

refine

humble

humanize

win over

tamed

control

conquer

overcome

break

insipid

trained

discipline

dilute

timid

submissive

accustomed to

suppress

pusillanimous

naturalized

pet

boring

naturalise

chasten

master

naturalize

bring into subjection

Translations

apprivoiser

dompter

zähmen

domare

domar

addomesticare

domestiquer

zahm

addomesticato

domesticar

manso

apprivoisé

amansar

tam

temmen

Pronounced as (IPA)

/teɪm/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: tame

Cognate with Middle English: tam

Inherited from Old English: tam

Cognate with Scots: tam

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: tom

Cognate with Western Frisian: tam

Cognate with Dutch: tam

Cognate with Low German: tamm

Cognate with German: zahm

Cognate with Danish: tam

Cognate with Swedish: tam

Cognate with Icelandic: tamur

Inherited from Middle English: tamen

Inherited from Old English: temian

In summary

From Middle English tame, tome, weak inflection forms of Middle English tam, tom, from Old English tam, tom (“domesticated, tame”), from Proto-West Germanic *tam (“tame”), from Proto-Germanic *tamaz (“brought into the home, tame”), from Proto-Indo-European *demh₂- (“to tame, dominate”).
Cognate with Scots tam, tame (“tame”), Saterland Frisian tom (“tame”), West Frisian tam (“tame”), Dutch tam (“tame”), Low German Low German tamm, tahm (“tame”), German zahm (“tame”), Danish tam (“tame”), Swedish tam (“tame”), Icelandic tamur (“tame”).
The verb is from Middle English tamen, temen, temien, from Old English temian (“to tame”), from Proto-West Germanic *tammjan, from Proto-Germanic *tamjaną (“to tame”).