tarry

Meaning

1. To delay; to be late or tardy in beginning or doing anything.
2. To linger in expectation of something or until something is done or happens.
3. To abide, stay or wait somewhere, especially if longer than planned.
4. To stay somewhere temporarily.
5. To wait for; to stay or stop for; to allow to linger.

delay

linger

be slow

mildly sour

pleasantly acid

slightly strained

subacrid

resinaceous

hold back affectedly

move slowly

linger over

go slowly

stay longer than intended

stand

stand still

be reluctant

stay on

take a long time

turn aside

be late

interfere with

dwell on

walk slowly

Frequency

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtæɹ.iː/

From Middle English tarien, terien (“to vex, harass, cause to hesitate, delay”), from Old English tirian, tirġan, terġan (“to worry, exasperate, pain, provoke, excite”), from Proto-Germanic *terganą, *targijaną (“to pull, tease, irritate”), from Proto-Indo-European *derHgʰ- (“to pull, tug, irritate”). Cognate with Dutch tergen (“to provoke”), German zergen (“to vex, irritate, provoke”), Norwegian Bokmål terge (“to irritate, provoke”), Russian дёргать (djórgatʹ, “to pull, yank, jerk, pester”). Compare also Walloon tårdjî (“to be late, to be slow, to wait”).