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What is a tad?

Dear Gramps,

What is a tad?

Ken, from Magna, Utah

Dear Ken,

The word, tad, is somewhat of a newcomer to the English lexicon. It does not appear in Noah Websterâ€™s American Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1828. Word has it that it probably originated from the English dialect around 1877. It was probably derived from the Old English word for toad, which is tade or tadigeâ€“ before the 12^th centuryâ€“meaning a contemptible person or thing. The word tad means a a small or insignificant amount or degree. It is also used as the word for a small child, especially a boy, by reason of its signifying something small or insignificant.

Gramps

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