tide

Main Entry:: ¹tide
Pronunciation:: \ˈtīd\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English, time, from Old English tīd; akin to Old High German zīt time and perhaps to Greek daiesthai to divide
Date:: before 12th century

1 aobsolete : a space of time : period b: a fit or opportune time : opportunity c: an ecclesiastical anniversary or festival ; also : its season —usually used in combination <Eastertide>2 a (1): the alternate rising and falling of the surface of the ocean and of water bodies (as gulfs and bays) connected with the ocean that occurs usually twice a day and is the result of differing gravitational forces exerted at different parts of the earth by another body (as the moon or sun) (2): a less marked rising and falling of an inland body of water (3): a periodic movement in the earth's crust caused by the same forces that produce ocean tides (4): a periodic distortion on one celestial body caused by the gravitational attraction of another (5): one of the periodic movements of the atmosphere resembling those of the ocean and produced by gravitation or diurnal temperature changes b: flood tide 13 a: something that fluctuates like the tides of the sea <the tide of public opinion> b: a surging movement of a group <a tide of opportunists>4 a: a flowing stream : current b: the waters of the ocean c: the overflow of a flooding stream

— tide·less

\-ləs\ adjective

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