Did You Know?
"Tare" came to English by way of Middle French from the Old Italian term "tara," which is itself from the Arabic word "ṭarḥa," meaning "that which is removed." The first known written record of the word "tare" in English is found in the 1489 naval inventories of Britain's King Henry VII. The records show two barrels of gunpowder weighing, "besides the tare," 500 pounds. When used of vehicles, "tare weight" refers to a vehicle's weight exclusive of any load. The term "tare" is closely tied to "net weight," which is defined as "weight excluding all tare."