Etymology Dictionary

TARE (1),  a plant like the vetch.  (E.)   M.E. tare, Chaucer, C. T. 3998; pl. taris, Wyclif, Matt. xiii. 25.   Palsgrave has:  'taare, a corne like a pease, lupins;' also:  'tarefytche [= tare-vetch], a corne, lupins.'   Halliwell gives prov. E. tare, eager, brisk (Hereford); which we may compare with prov. E. tear, to go fast, which is only a peculiar use of the verb tear, to rend.   The word is peculiarly E., and may mean 'quick-growing' or 'destructive' plant; in any case, it may safely be referred to A.S. teran, to tear.   Cf. also tearing, great, rough, noisy, blustering (Halliwell).   See Tear (1) and Tarry.

TARE (2),  an allowance made for the weight of the package in which goods are contained, or for other detriment.  (F.,—Span.,—Arab.)   A mercantile term; explained in Phillips, ed. 1706.—F. tare, 'losse, diminution,... waste in merchandise by the exchange or use thereof;' Cot.—Span. tara, tare, allowance in weight.   (Cf. Ital. and Port. tara, the same.)—Arab. tarha (given by Devic); from tarh, throwing, casting, flinging.   Richardson, Pers. Dict. p. 967, gives Arab. tirh, turrah, thrown away, from tarh.   The orig. sense is 'that which is thrown away,' hence loss, detriment.   From the Arab. root taraha, he threw prostrate; Rich., as above. [†]

ADDENDA

TARE (2).   Tare and trete [tret] are both mentioned in Arnold's Chron. (1502), ed. 1811, pp. 128, 237.