T is the twentieth letter of the English Alphabet, and a close consonant. It represents a close joining of the end of the tongue to the root of the upper teeth, as may be perceived by the syllables at, et, ot, ut, in attempting to pronounce which, the voice is completely intercepted. It is therefore numbered among the mutes, or close articulations, and it differs from d chiefly in its closeness; for in pronouncing ad, ed, we perceive the voice is not so suddenly and entirely intercepted, as in pronouncing at and et. T by itself has one sound only, as in take, turn, bat, bolt, smite, bitter. So we are accustomed to speak; but in reality, t can be hardly said to have any sound at all. Its use, like that of all mute articulations, is to modify the manner of uttering the vocal sound which precedes or follows it.

is the twentieth letter of the English Alphabet, and a close consonant. It represents a close joining of the end of the tongue to the root of the upper teeth, as may be perceived by the syllable at, et, ot, ut, in attempting to pronounce which, the voice is completely intercepted. It is therefore numbered among the mutes, or close articulations, and it differs from d chiefly in its closeness; for in pronouncing ad, ed, we perceive the voice is not so suddenly and entirely intercepted, as in pronouncing at and et. T by itself has one sound only, as in take, turn, bat, bolt, smite, bitter. So we are accustomed to speak; but in reality, t can be hardly said to have any sound at all. Its use, like that of all mute articulations, is to modify the manner of uttering the vocal sound which precedes or follows it. When t is followed by h, as in think and that, the combination really forms a distinct sound for which we have no single character. This combination has two sounds in English; aspirated, as in think, and vocal as in that. The letters ti, before a vowel, and unaccented, usually pass into the sound of sh, as in nation, motion, partial, substantiate; which are pronounced nashon, moshon, parshal, substanshate. In this case, t loses entirely its proper sound or use, and being blended with the subsequent letter, a new sound results from the combination, which is in fact a simple sound. In a few words, the combination ti has the sound of English ch, as in Christian, mixtion, question. T is convertible with d. Thus the Germans write tag, where we write day, and gut for good. It is also convertible with s and z, for the Germans write wasser, for water, and zahm, for tame. T. as an abbreviation, stands for theologia; as, S. T. D. sanctæ theologiæ doctor, doctor of divinity. In ancient monuments and writings, T. is an abbreviature which stands for Titus, Titius, or Tullius. As a numeral, T, among the Latins, stood for 160, and with a dash over the top, [T with super-macron], for 160,000. Encyc. In music, T, is the initial of tenor, vocal and instrumental; of tacet, for silence, as adagio tacet, when a person is to rest during the whole movement. In concertos and symphonies, it is the initial of tutti, the whole band, after a solo. It sometimes stands for tr. or trillo, a shake.

1. the twentieth letter of the English alphabet, is a nonvocal consonant. With the letter h it forms the digraph th, which has two distinct sounds, as in thin, then. See Guide to Pronunciation, §𨵞-264, and also §𨳱, 156, 169, 172, 176, 178-180.
   
   

   The letter derives its name and form from the Latin, the form of the Latin letter being further derived through the Greek from the Phœnician. The ultimate origin is probably Egyptian. It is etymologically most nearly related to d, s, th; as in tug, duke; two, dual, L. duo; resin, L. resina, Gr. "rhti`nh, tent, tense, a., tenuous, thin; nostril, thrill. See D, S.

   T bandage (Surg.), a bandage shaped like the letter T, and used principally for application to the groin, or perineum. -- T cart, a kind of fashionable two seated wagon for pleasure driving. -- T iron. (a) A rod with a short crosspiece at the end, -- used as a hook. (b) Iron in bars, having a cross section formed like the letter T, -- used in structures. -- T rail, a kind of rail for railroad tracks, having no flange at the bottom so that a section resembles the letter T. -- T square, a ruler having a crosspiece or head at one end, for the purpose of making parallel lines; -- so called from its shape. It is laid on a drawing board and guided by the crosspiece, which is pressed against the straight edge of the board. Sometimes the head is arranged to be set at different angles. -- To a T, exactly, perfectly; as, to suit to a T. [Colloq.]