tao

See also: Tao, tāo, táo, tǎo, tào, tão, tạo, and TAO

English

Alternative forms

• dao

Etymology

From the Wade-Giles romanization of Chinese 道 (Dào, literally “the Way”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /daʊ/, /taʊ/
• Rhymes: -aʊ

Proper noun

tao

1. (Chinese philosophy) Alternative letter-case form of Tao: the way of nature, or way to live one's life.

Noun

tao (usually uncountable, plural taos)

1. (by extension) The art or skill of doing something in harmony with the essential nature of the thing.

   Synonym: zen

   the tao of archery

2. (historical, obsolete) Synonym of circuit: various administrative divisions of imperial and early Republican China.

See also

• ananke

Anagrams

• AOT, ATO, OTA, Ota, To'a, oat, toa

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Bikol Central

Verb

taó

1. to give

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Butuanon

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tau.

Noun

tao

1. person; human

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Finnish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɑoˣ/, [ˈt̪ɑo̞(ʔ)]
• Rhymes: -ɑo
• Syllabification: ta‧o

Verb

tao

1. inflection of takoa:
   1. indicative present connegative
   2. second-person singular imperative present/present connegative

Etymology 2

From Chinese 道 (dào).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɑo/, [ˈt̪ɑo̞]
• Rhymes: -ɑo
• Syllabification: ta‧o

Noun

tao

1. tao

Declension

Inflection of tao (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation)
nominative		tao	—
genitive		taon	—
partitive		taoa	—
illative		taoon	—
		singular	plural
nominative		tao	—
accusative	nom.	tao	—
	gen.	taon
genitive		taon	—
partitive		taoa	—
inessive		taossa	—
elative		taosta	—
illative		taoon	—
adessive		taolla	—
ablative		taolta	—
allative		taolle	—
essive		taona	—
translative		taoksi	—
instructive		—	—
abessive		taotta	—
comitative		—	—

Possessive forms of tao (type valo)
possessor	singular	plural
1st person	taoni	taomme
2nd person	taosi	taonne
3rd person	taonsa

Anagrams

• oat, ota

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French

Noun

tao m (plural taos)

1. (philosophy) Tao

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Hungarian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈtɒoː]
• Hyphenation: tao
• Rhymes: -oː

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Mandarin 道 (dào, “way, path”).

Noun

tao

1. tao

Declension

Inflection of tao
	singular	plural
nominative	tao	taók
accusative	taót	taókat
dative	taónak	taóknak
instrumental	taóval	taókkal
causal-final	taóért	taókért
translative	taóvá	taókká
terminative	taóig	taókig
essive-formal	taoként	taókként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	taóban	taókban
superessive	taón	taókon
adessive	taónál	taóknál
illative	taóba	taókba
sublative	taóra	taókra
allative	taóhoz	taókhoz
elative	taóból	taókból
delative	taóról	taókról
ablative	taótól	taóktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	taóé	taóké
non-attributive possessive - plural	taóéi	taókéi

Possessive forms of tao
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	taóm	taóim
2nd person sing.	taód	taóid
3rd person sing.	taója	taói
1st person plural	taónk	taóink
2nd person plural	taótok	taóitok
3rd person plural	taójuk	taóik

Derived terms

• taoista
• taoizmus

Etymology 2

Abbreviation from the name of the act on társasági adó és osztalékadó (“corporate tax and dividend tax”).

Noun

tao

1. Acronym of társasági adó és osztalékadó.

Declension

Inflection of tao
	singular	plural
nominative	tao	taók
accusative	taót	taókat
dative	taónak	taóknak
instrumental	taóval	taókkal
causal-final	taóért	taókért
translative	taóvá	taókká
terminative	taóig	taókig
essive-formal	taoként	taókként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	taóban	taókban
superessive	taón	taókon
adessive	taónál	taóknál
illative	taóba	taókba
sublative	taóra	taókra
allative	taóhoz	taókhoz
elative	taóból	taókból
delative	taóról	taókról
ablative	taótól	taóktól
non-attributive possessive - singular	taóé	taóké
non-attributive possessive - plural	taóéi	taókéi

Possessive forms of tao
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	taóm	taóim
2nd person sing.	taód	taóid
3rd person sing.	taója	taói
1st person plural	taónk	taóink
2nd person plural	taótok	taóitok
3rd person plural	taójuk	taóik

Derived terms

• taózás
• taózik

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Ilocano

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tau.

Noun

tao

1. person
2. human

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Italian

Alternative forms

• dao

Etymology

From the Wade-Giles romanization of Chinese 道 (Dào, literally “the Way”) or (dào, "circuit").

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈta.o/
• Rhymes: -ao
• Hyphenation: tà‧o

Noun

tao m (invariable)

1. (philosophy) Tao

Derived terms

• taoismo
• taoista

Anagrams

• -ato

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Japanese

Romanization

tao

1. Rōmaji transcription of たお

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Malagasy

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *taʀuq. Compare Indonesian taruh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [to]

Noun

tao

1. act, action
2. preparation

Verb

tao

1. to do
2. to prepare, arm, take precautions

Related terms

	Focus (Voice)
Agent (Active)	man-form: manao
	mi-form: mitao
	om-form: --
Patient (Passive)	--
	alternate: --
	a-form: atao
	voa-form: voatao
	tafa-form: --
Goal (Relative)	an-form: anaovana
	i-form: itaovana

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Mandarin

Romanization

tao

1. Nonstandard spelling of tāo.
2. Nonstandard spelling of táo.
3. Nonstandard spelling of tǎo.
4. Nonstandard spelling of tào.

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

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Maori

Noun

tao

1. spear

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Samoan

Noun

tao

1. spear

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Swahili

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya)

  (file)

Noun

tao (ma class, plural matao)

1. arch

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Tagalog

Alternative forms

• tauo, tau (obsolete)
• tawo (obsolete)

Etymology

From tawo, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tau, from Proto-Austronesian *Cau. Cognate with Thao caw, Ilocano tao, Cebuano tawo, and Motu tau.

Pronunciation 1

• IPA^(key): /ˈta.ʔo/
• Hyphenation: ta‧o

Noun

tao

1. human, human being, person, man
2. one of the faces of a coin

   Synonym: tihaya

3. husband
4. a person left alone in a place as a guard or caretaker

   Synonyms: bantay, tanod

Related terms

• balintataw
• katawan

 

Derived terms

• dalubtauhan
• gawang-tao
• kapwa-tao
• karaniwang-tao
• katao
• katauhan
• lampas-tao
• madlang-tao
• magdalang-tao
• magkatawang-tao
• magpakatao
• magpakitang-tao
• makatao
• mamamatay-tao
• matao
• matauhan
• may-tao
• pagdadalang-tao
• pakitang-tao
• palatauhan
• panao
• panauhan
• panauhin
• sangkatauhan
• tao po
• tauhan
• tauhin
• tau-tauhan
• tumao

 

Pronunciation 2

• IPA^(key): /ta.ˈʔo/

Adjective

taó

1. (archaic) mortal

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Vietnamese

Alternative forms

• (North Central Vietnam) tau

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *soː (“I; me”).

There are 1st person single pronouns in Northern Austroasiatic branches with back vocalism and null-initial such as Mang ʔuː⁴, Khmu [Cuang] ʔoʔ, Riang [Sak] ʔoʔ¹, Pnar o. However, the only case of competing *s- vs. null-onset in Vietic is Proto-Vietic *suh ~ *ʔuh (“nest”), which gave rise to Vietnamese tổ and ổ respectively.

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [taːw˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [taːw˧˧]
• (Hồ Chí Minh City) IPA^(key): [taːw˧˧]

Pronoun

tao • (傮, 蚤, 𠋺)

1. (impolite, familiar, disrepectful or hostile) I/me

   Antonyms: mày, mi

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Yami

Noun

tao

1. person; human