Word Confusion: Taper versus Tapir

Revised as of
3 Jan 2023

There’s a huge difference between this word confusion taper vs tapir. For one thing, the latter is alive — even if the tapir does have a tapering snout — while the former is not alive. Oh, I grant you, the flame may be lively and dance, but it still ain’t alive.

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Taper	Tapir
Taper Pin is MatthiasDD’s own work under the GFDL or CC BY SA-3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Side view of a taper pin drawing.	Schabrackentapir is Fritz Geller-Grimm’s own work under the CC BY-SA 2.5 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — A tapir at the Zoological Garden in Stuttgart.
Part of Grammar:
Adjective; Noun; Verb, intransitive and transitive Plural for the noun: tapers Gerund: tapering Third person present verb: tapers Past tense or past participle: tapered Present participle: tapering	Noun Plural: tapirs
Adjective: Progressively narrowed toward one end Furnished with or adjusted to a scale Gradually decreasing in size toward a point Noun: A slender candle A wick coated with wax, used for conveying a flame A gradual narrowing A gradual or incremental reduction of width or thickness in an elongated object Gradual decrease of force, capacity, etc. Anything having a tapering form, such as a spire or obelisk A person who records or edits magnetic tape, videotape, etc. Verb, intransitive: Diminish or reduce or cause to diminish or reduce in thickness toward one end Gradually lessen Become lean Verb, transitive: Diminish or reduce or cause to diminish or reduce in thickness toward one end	A nocturnal hoofed mammal with a stout body, sturdy limbs, and a short flexible proboscis, native to the forests of tropical America and Malaysia
Examples:
Adjective: Broad, stubby tapering fingers are a sign of OLS. He admired the elegantly tapered legs of the dressing-table. “The tapering rates, blanket rates, commercial zones, foreign trade zones and in-transit privileges affect the facility location decision” (Gibson). Noun: She lit the tapers with a slender matchstick. A flat wick is commonly used in tapers. We have to apply the current industry standard taper of 5 degrees. The marathon taper can be an incredibly challenging phase during a training plan. Verb, intransitive: The tail tapers to a rounded tip. The impact of the dollar’s depreciation started to taper off. The leaf tapers at the tip. The storm is beginning to taper off. Verb, transitive: David asked my dressmaker to taper his trousers. Cigarette pants taper in tightly at the ankle. Taper your brows slightly at the end.	Tapirs look something like pigs with trunks, but they are actually related to horses and rhinoceroses. Tapirs have a short prehensile (gripping) trunk, which is really an extended nose and upper lip. There are four tapir species. The woolly tapir lives in the Andes and is the smallest of the four.
Derivatives:
Adjective: tapering, untapered, untapering Adverb: taperingly Noun: taperer
History of the Word:
Old English denoting any wax candle. Its dissimilated form by switching from p- to t- from the Latin papyrus, for the pith which was used for candle wicks.	Late 18th century, via Spanish and Portuguese from Tupi tapyra.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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Resources for Taper versus Tapir

Apple Dictionary.com

Collins Dictionary: taper

Gibson, Brian. “Solutions for Chapter 12.” Solutions. Chegg.com. <https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/explain-tapering-rates-blanket-rates-commercial-zones-foreig-chapter-12-problem-11sq-solution-9780538479189-exc>

Merriam-Webster: taper

“Tapirs.” Photo Ark. Animals. National Geographic. n.d. Web. n.d. <http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/tapir/>.

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Pinterest Photo Credits

Tapir at San Diego Zoo by Sepht~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). It is under the GFDL, CC BY-SA 3.0, or CC BY 2.5 license. I duplicated the image behind it to enlarge the background. Bretagne is H. Grobe’s own work under the CC BY 3.0 license. Both are via Wikimedia Commons.