tare

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. Any of various weedy plants of the genus Vicia, especially the common vetch.
2. n. Any of several weedy plants that grow in grain fields.
3. n. An unwelcome or objectionable element.
4. n. The weight of a container or wrapper that is deducted from the gross weight to obtain net weight.
5. n. A deduction from gross weight made to allow for the weight of a container.
6. n. Chemistry A counterbalance, especially an empty vessel used to counterbalance the weight of a similar container.
7. v. To determine or indicate the tare of, especially to weigh in order to find out the tare.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The weight of a motor-vehicle without its load of cargo or passengers; also, the weight of the vehicle empty, without its fuel-supply or necessary equipment.
2. Eager; brisk.
3. n. A plant of the genus Vicia, otherwise known as vetch; most often the common vetch, V. sativa, an annual or biennial herb widely cultivated in Europe as a forage-plant. It is a low spreading or erect or almost climbing plant with pinnate leaves of from four to seven pairs of leaflets, bearing purple peaflowers, commonly single in the axils. The tare is used as green fodder or sometimes cured for hay. There are a summer and a winter variety. The name applies also somewhat specifically to V. hirsuta, and is loosely bestowed on other vetches and species of Lathyrus. The tare of Mat. xiii. 25, 36 is supposed to be the Lolium temulentum, or darnel. Also called tarvetch.
4. n. An obsolete or archaic preterit of tear.
5. n. In com., a deduction made from the gross weight of goods as equivalent to the real or approximate weight of the cask, box, pot, bag, or other package containing them. Tare is said to be real when the true weight of the package is known and allowed for, average when it is estimated from similar known cases, and customary when a uniform rate is deducted. See tret.
6. n. In chem., an empty vessel similar to one in which a chemical operation is conducted, and placed beside it during the operation. The tare serves to detect or compensate for any change in the weight of the other vessel.
7. To note or mark the weight of, as a container of any kind, for subsequent allowance of tare.
8. n. A small silver coin formerly current in India.

Wiktionary

1. n. rare A vetch, or the seed of a vetch.
2. n. rare A damaging weed growing in fields of grain.
3. n. The empty weight of a container.
4. v. To take into account the weight of the container, wrapping etc. in weighting merchandise.
5. v. sciences To set a zero value on an instrument (usually a balance) that discounts the starting point.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. Tore.
2. n. A weed that grows among wheat and other grain; -- alleged by modern naturalists to be the Lolium temulentum, or darnel.
3. n. (Bot.) A name of several climbing or diffuse leguminous herbs of the genus Vicia; especially, the Vicia sativa, sometimes grown for fodder.
4. n. (Com.) Deficientcy in the weight or quantity of goods by reason of the weight of the cask, bag, or whatever contains the commodity, and is weighed with it; hence, the allowance or abatement of a certain weight or quantity which the seller makes to the buyer on account of the weight of such cask, bag, etc.
5. v. To ascertain or mark the tare of (goods).

WordNet 3.0

1. n. weedy annual grass often occurs in grainfields and other cultivated land; seeds sometimes considered poisonous
2. n. the weight of a motor vehicle, railroad car, or aircraft without its fuel or cargo
3. n. an adjustment made for the weight of the packaging in order to determine the net weight of the goods
4. n. any of several weedy vetches grown for forage
5. n. (chemical analysis) a counterweight used in chemical analysis; consists of an empty container that counterbalances the weight of the container holding chemicals