The verb 'tarry' presents a fascinating semantic journey. It descends from a Germanic root meaning "to provoke" or "to irritate," which evolved in Middle English to signify causing delay or hindrance. From this sense of causing delay in another, the meaning shifted reflexively to describe the act of delaying oneself, resulting in the modern primary meaning of lingering or staying behind. This evolution from an external action to an internal state illustrates a common pathway of semantic change. The adjective 'tarry' follows a simpler, transparent path, directly describing the quality of being like or smeared with tar, a substance whose name itself has ancient Germanic origins.

This is a simplex word. The verb form (to linger) and the adjective form (resembling tar) are homographs with distinct etymological origins. The verb originates from Middle English tarien, likely from Old English tergan (to provoke, irritate, delay), of Germanic origin. The adjective is a straightforward derivation from the noun 'tar' (a dark, viscous liquid) + the adjectival suffix '-y'.