different between tarmac vs macadam

English

Etymology

Clipping of tarmacadam, which is tar +? macadam (crushed stones). Originally a trademark owned by its inventor Edgar Hooley.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?t??(?)mæk/

Noun

tarmac (countable and uncountable, plural tarmacs)

1. Tarmacadam.

   Coordinate term: asphalt concrete

2. (loosely, Britain, Canada) Any bituminous road surfacing material.

   Synonym: asphalt

3. (Britain, Canada) The driveable surface of a road.
4. (informal, aviation) The area of an airport, other than the runway, where planes park or maneuver.

Translations

See also

• asphalt

Verb

tarmac (third-person singular simple present tarmacs, present participle tarmacking or tarmacing or tarmaccing, simple past and past participle tarmacked or tarmaced or tarmacced)

1. (Britain, Canada) To pave with tarmacadam or a similar material.
   • 2014, Taking the rough with the smooth: Bolton residents anger over half-tarmaced road, ITV Granada:

     Residents in Bolton are angry after workmen tarmaced only one half of their road leaving the other half strewn with potholes.

2. (aviation) To spend time idling on a runway, usually waiting for takeoff clearance.

Derived terms

• retarmac
• untarmacked

Anagrams

• amtrac, mactra, ram-cat

French

Noun

tarmac m (plural tarmacs)

1. tarmac (part of airport)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ta?.mak/

Etymology

Borrowed from English, a clipping of tarmacadam. Genericized trademark.

Irish

Etymology

Borrowed from English tarmac.

Noun

tarmac m (genitive singular tarmac)

1. tarmac

Declension

Synonyms

• tarramhacadam

References

• "tarmac" in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.

English

Etymology

Named after Scottish engineer John Loudon McAdam (1756–1836), who invented the process of macadamization. Used for describing road surfaces originally constructed using the McAdam method, but now sometimes used for any road or street.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /m??kæd?m/

Noun

macadam (countable and uncountable, plural macadams)

1. (uncountable) The surface of a road consisting of layers of crushed stone (usually tar-coated for modern traffic).
2. (US, dated, countable) Any road or street.

Derived terms

• tarmac
• tarmacadam

Translations

Verb

macadam (third-person singular simple present macadams, present participle macadaming or macadamming, simple past and past participle macadamed or macadammed)

1. (transitive) To cover or surface with macadam.

See also

• asphalt

Further reading

• macadam on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Spanish

Noun

macadam m (plural macadams or macadam)

1. macadam