A small amount or degree; a little bit. Informal term meaning slightly or somewhat.
Possibly from 'tadpole', referring to something small, or from Welsh tad meaning 'father' used diminutively. First recorded in American English in the early 19th century. The exact etymology is uncertain, but it likely developed from dialectal speech patterns.
The word 'tad' perfectly exemplifies how informal speech creates precise emotional registers - it suggests just a tiny bit more than 'a little' but less than 'somewhat'. Its mysterious etymology makes it even more charming, as it seems to have emerged organically from American colloquial speech without clear literary precedent.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.