Thack

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A term used dialectally to refer to thatch, meaning a material made from dry vegetation such as straw or reeds used as roofing
2. A rustic or regional expression for the layering of natural plant material atop a structure to provide shelter or insulation
3. A colloquial word describing the traditional roofing method using bundled stalks or grasses arranged to protect buildings from weather elements

Etymology: Thack is a noun and a verb with two unrelated histories that happen to have landed on the same spelling. The verb comes from Old English "þaccian," meaning to touch gently or stroke, and it survives in Middle English as "thakken." Its family is striking: Latin "tangō" ("touch") is a distant cousin, and so is the Old Norse "þykkr," a thump or blow. A gentle touch and a sharp strike both grew from the same ancient root for contact. The noun is a different word entirely. Old English "þæc" meant roofing material, and the same root gave Dutch "dak," German "Dach," and Danish "tag," all meaning roof. Its ancestor is also linked to Latin "toga" and Greek "stegos," both words for covering, which makes the roof a kind of shelter or covering rather than a surface.

Synonyms: thatch, cover, roof, straw, reed

Antonyms: strip, uncover, expose