Tarmac
Origin
Shortening of tarmacadam, which is tar + macadam (crushed stones).
Full definition of tarmac
Noun
tarmac
(plural tarmacs)- (British, Canada) The bituminous surface of a road.
- 1922, w, “Piracyâ€: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days Chapter 3/1/1, How meek and shrunken did that haughty Tarmac become as it slunk by the wide circle of asphalt of the yellow sort, that was loosely strewn before the great iron gates of Lady Hall as a forerunner of the consideration that awaited the guests of Rupert, Earl of Kare, ....
- (aviation) Area of an airport where planes park or maneuver.
Usage notes
The tarmac are any areas of an airfield that are paved. It is often used to describe planes that are sitting still on a paved road surface due to some sort of delay.
Verb
- (British, Canada) To pave
- To your left is a green lane, partly tarmacked with chippings, which leads up to a little car-parking area.
- (aviation) To spend time idling on a runway, usually waiting for takeoff clearance
- "It is not unusual these days for the time spent tarmacking to exceed the time spent in the air, " said Senator John Danforth, R-Mo.