WordGarden.iotammy
C2Pronunciation
UK
- /tˈæmi/
US
- /ˈtæmi/
Meanings
Proper-noun
a feminine given name
Noun
a round cap, especially a tam-o'-shanter style hat
a glazed woolen or mixed textile once used for linings and similar purposes
Beyond the definition
"Tammy" is best known as a woman's given name, especially one that was very popular in the mid-20th century and can suggest a warm, traditional image. It also has older practical meanings. In textile use, a "tammy" is a thin, plain-woven woolen fabric. In cooking, it can mean a fine cloth or sieve used to strain sauces or purees. The word is also used as a short form of "tam o' shanter," the traditional Scottish cap.
The word "Tammy" has a mix of familiar and older meanings. Many people know it first as a woman's name. It is often treated as a pet form of names such as Tamara, and in English-speaking culture it became especially familiar in the 1950s and 1960s, helped by the Tammy films and songs. Because of that history, the name can carry a sweet, old-fashioned feel.
Outside the name, "tammy" also belongs to older everyday English. In textiles, it means a thin, plain-woven woolen fabric, sometimes used for clothing or lining. In the kitchen, a "tammy" can mean a fine cloth or sieve for straining sauces, soups, or purees until they are very smooth. This sense is related to "tamis," a similar word for a straining cloth or sieve.
The word can also be used for a "tam o' shanter," the round Scottish cap with a flat top, often finished with a pom-pom in the center. In that sense, "tammy" works as a casual shorter form.
For example: "Her grandmother still called the old wool fabric tammy." Or: "The cook pushed the sauce through a tammy to make it smooth." In short, the word may point to a person, a fabric, a kitchen tool, or a traditional cap, depending on the context.
Examples
- 1
Cloth material
The dressmaker lined the coat with black tammy.
- 2
Cheap furnishings
Cheap curtains in the back rooms were made of tammy, not velvet.
- 3
Scottish cap
In the old photo, her grandfather is wearing a red tammy with a pom-pom on top.
See also
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- tammynoun