mid-13c., tohte "stretched or pulled tight," possibly from tog-, past participle stem of Old English teon "to pull, drag," from Proto-Germanic *theuhanan, from PIE root *deuk- "to lead," which would connect it to tow (v.) and tie. Related: Tautness.
taut sails
her nerves were taut as the strings of a bow
taunt
taupe
taurine
tauromachy
Taurus
taut
tauten
tautog
tautology
tavern
taw
)window.location='https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_donations&business=byronic106@yahoo.com&lc=US&item_name=Donation+to +Help+Keep+Etymonline+Free+and+Open&no_note=0&cn=&curency_code=USD&bn=PP-DonationsBF:btn_donateCC_LG.gif:NonHosted'){kind=link}