Tar*pau"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.

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

3. Hence, a sailor; a seaman; a tar.

To a landsman, these tarpaulins, as they were called, seemed a strange and half-savage race.

Tar*pau"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.

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

3. Hence, a sailor; a seaman; a tar.

To a landsman, these tarpaulins, as they were called, seemed a strange and half-savage race.

• (uncountable) Canvas waterproofed with tar.
  
• (uncountable) Any heavy, waterproof material.
  
• (countable) A heavy, waterproof sheet of material, often cloth.
        Throw a tarpaulin over that woodpile before it gets wet.