taper

/'teipə/

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Explanation of the Word "Taper"

Definition: The word "taper" can be used as both a noun and a verb, and it has a few different meanings.

Usage Instructions:

• When using "taper" as a noun, refer to it in contexts related to candles, shapes, or cords.
• When using it as a verb, describe actions where something is reduced in size or intensity.

Examples:

• Noun Example: "I lit a taper to provide light in the room."
• Verb Example: "As the race went on, her energy began to taper."

Advanced Usage:

• In more technical contexts, "taper" can be used in fields like engineering or design to describe specific shapes or structures that narrow down.
• For example: "The design of the rocket has a tapering shape to improve aerodynamics."

Word Variants:

• Tapered (adjective): Describes something that has been made to narrow at one end. For example, "The tapered legs of the table give it a modern look."
• Tapering (adjective): Refers to the process of becoming smaller or narrower. For example, "The tapering path led us up the mountain."

Different Meanings:

• In addition to its physical meanings, "taper" can be used metaphorically to describe emotional or psychological states, such as interest or excitement that lessens over time.

Synonyms:

• For the noun: candle, wick, tapering shape.
• For the verb: lessen, diminish, decrease.

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• There are no common idioms or phrasal verbs that specifically use "taper," but you might hear phrases like "taper off," which means to gradually decrease.

Academic

Noun

1. stick of wax with a wick in the middle
2. a loosely woven cord (in a candle or oil lamp) that draws fuel by capillary action up into the flame
3. the property possessed by a shape that narrows toward a point (as a wedge or cone)
4. a convex shape that narrows toward a point

Verb

1. give a point to
   • The candles are tapered
2. diminish gradually
   • Interested tapered off

Synonyms

• candle
• wax light
• wick
• sharpen
• point