[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

tarpaulin \tarpau"lin\, n. tar + palling a covering, pall to
   cover. see pall a covering.
   1. a piece of canvas covered with tar or a waterproof
      composition, used for covering the hatches of a ship,
      hammocks, boats, etc.
      1913 webster

   2. a hat made of, or covered with, painted or tarred cloth,
      worn by sailors and others.
      1913 webster

   3. hence, a sailor; a seaman; a tar.
      1913 webster

            to a landsman, these tarpaulins, as they were
            called, seemed a strange and half-savage race.
                                                  --macaulay.
      1913 webster
see also:
pall 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

tarpaulin
     n : waterproofed canvas syn: tarp
see also:
tarp 

Tarpaulin >> T Words
Tarpaulin, definition of term: Tarpaulin
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