tau

noun

\ˈtau̇,

ˈtȯ\

Definition of tau

1 : the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet — see Alphabet Table

2 : a short-lived elementary particle of the lepton family that exists in positive and negative charge states and has a mass about 3500 times greater than an electron

— called also tau particle

3 : a protein that binds to and regulates the assembly and stability of neuronal microtubules and that is found in an abnormal form as the major component of neurofibrillary tangles

Examples of tau in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Curiosity is starting to see haze from the storm on the other side of the planet, registering a tau of about 2 or 3. — Jay Bennett, Popular Mechanics, "NASA Optimistic That Opportunity Can Survive Martian Dust Storm," 13 June 2018 The definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease requires that there be an overabundance in the brain of two proteins: beta amyloid plaques and tau neurofibrillary tangles. — Denise C. Park, sandiegouniontribune.com, "5 myths about Alzheimer's disease," 18 June 2018 The previous storm had an opacity level, or tau, of 5.5. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "NASA's Opportunity Rover Is Heroically Riding Out an Enormous Martian Storm," 11 June 2018 This diagnosis occurs when a pathologist examines slices of brain tissue obtained after an autopsy and sees the sticky amyloid deposits and remnant tau tangles associated with Alzheimer’s. — Denise C. Park, sandiegouniontribune.com, "5 myths about Alzheimer's disease," 18 June 2018 Some companies have changed their target to the tau protein. — Christian Holscher, CNN, "New approach to Alzheimer's fight: Diabetes drugs," 15 June 2018 In research, biomarkers like beta amyloid, pathologic tau, and neurodegeneration are used to stage and measure the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. — Amy M. Miller, STAT, "Studying sex differences will improve health for women and men," 13 June 2018 Merck and other companies have also focused drug development on a different protein, tau, that forms twisted proteins in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. — Peter Loftus, WSJ, "Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca Drop Two Late-Stage Alzheimer’s Drug Trials," 12 June 2018 There are three types of antineutrino just as there are three types of regular neutrino—electron, muon, and tau. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "New Experiment Hints at Why the Universe Is Made of Something Rather Than Nothing," 8 Aug. 2016

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tau.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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30 Sep 2018

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tau

noun

\ˈtau̇,

ˈtȯ

Medical Definition of tau

: a protein that binds to and regulates the assembly and stability of neuronal microtubules and that is found in an abnormal form as the major component of neurofibrillary tangles

— called also tau protein