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Taper vs Gaper - What's the difference?

taper | gaper |

As nouns the difference between taper and gaper

is that taper is a slender wax candle; a small lighted wax candle; hence, a small light while gaper is one who gapes; a starer.

As a verb taper

is to make thinner or narrower at one end.

taper

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) taper, from (etyl) .

Noun

(en noun)
  • A slender wax candle; a small lighted wax candle; hence, a small light.
  • * ~1603 , William Shakespeare, ''Othello, Act I, scene I, line 157:
    • strike on the tinder, ho!/ Give me a taper .
  • * 1913 ,
    • Love used to carry a bow, you know,
    But now he carries a taper ;
    It is either a length of wax aglow,
    Or a twist of lighted paper.
  • A tapering form; gradual diminution of thickness and/or cross section in an elongated object
    • the taper of a spire.
    The legs of the table had a slight taper to them.
  • A thin stick used for lighting candles, either a wax-coated wick or a slow-burning wooden rod.
    • Derived terms
    * taperwise

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make thinner or narrower at one end.
  • * 1851 ,
    • Though true cylinders without — within, the villanous green goggling glasses deceitfully tapered downwards to a cheating bottom.
  • To diminish gradually.
    • Derived terms
    * taper off
    Synonyms
    * narrow

    Etymology 2

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (weaving) One who operates a tape machine.
  • Someone who works with tape or tapes.

    • Anagrams

    * ----

    gaper

    English

    (wikipedia gaper) (Serranus cabrilla)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who gapes; a starer.
  • Any of several species of burrowing clams.
  • The comber, a fish of the species .
  • The fish

    • Hyponyms

    * (burrowing clams) king clam

    Derived terms

    * blue-billed gaper * blunt gaper * fat gaper * gaper clam * gaper pea crab * gaper snake-eel * gapers' block * gapeworm * little gaper * Pacific gaper * redeye gaper * sand gaper * sickle-billed gaper

    Synonyms

    * (fish) comber

    Anagrams

    * * *